We're Tough Too
by manyreasons
Summary: Miller and his men investigate what they believe to be friendly fire. The squad of eight are surprised to find three women. Why are they in the middle of a war? How will they cope with it? (Takes place right after the gripe scene) Copyright Notice: I do not own Miller and his men, or any other character from the movie. I really only own the girls.
1. Chapter 1-Dames?

**So, I decided to re-upload all the chapters. Since that would've been a hassle to do individually, I decided to just delete the original and make the format look a little more neat. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for reading my story! I hope you like it. Please don't forget to R&R!**

**Thank you!  
**** manyreasons**

* * *

Three women trekked through a field next to a forest. Each were armed with five knives, a pistol, and a few pounds of ammunition. Each had a canteen of water attached to their black belts. They wore light green cargo pants that tucked in to their forest green combat boots. The one leading the way had nut brown hair tied back in to a braid. Her eyes were verdant. She wore a tan sleeveless shirt and a necklace that held a cross made of nails. The one walking right behind her had dirty blonde hair and steel gray eyes. She wore a quarter sleeve brown shirt. On her wrists were black, gladiator like, bands. The third woman had auburn hair and earth brown eyes. She wore a black t-shirt. She carried a black bag on her back. Each of the three heard boisterous laughter. They soon came upon a clearing, within the forest, with four Nazis laughing. The brunette stopped and signed to the other two to circle the four. They nodded and moved to the sides. The verdant eyed woman listened intently. Her eyes widened at the realization of what they were saying. She counted to three and whistled. Two blades from each side soared to the intended target. Two Nazis fell dead. The remaining men reached for their guns but were stopped by the two girls. They held the large rifles at their faces. The brunette stepped out of the shadows to stand in front of them. The taller of the men began to chuckle at the sight of her. He smirked as he moved closer to her. The second one watched in fear. In very broken English, the tall one spoke.

"Little girls, not scary."

A shot rang out. The teasing Nazi's eyes widened as he fell to the ground bleeding to death. Her verdant eyes locked on the last Nazi, who began to cry.

"Bitte," he stuttered.

She cocked her pistol and aimed. "Feigling."

BANG!

* * *

"Did anyone just hear that?"

"Hear what, Upham?" asked Miller.

BANG!

"That, sir."

The group of eight men stopped in their tracks. Miller looked at Horvath. He frowned slightly.

"We should see what's going on," Wade spoke up.

"It could've been friendly fire," Caparzo added.

"What if it wasn't?"

"Alright men, we'll take a look."

The company headed toward the forest quickly. As they pulled back the brush, they slowed down in order to be quiet. Their ears perked up when they heard voices.

"What exactly were they talking about?" a small voice asked.

"Attacking a beach our troops just took. I think Omaha."

"Don't see how we could've missed those rats," sneered a third voice.

The men came upon the clearing and saw the three women. One was pulling a knife out of a dead man's back. Another was cleaning a pistol. The blonde's head popped up.

"I think we've got company," she muttered. "Thunder!"

"Flash," the Captain responded.

She gave a cheeky grin. "Next time, don't step on the branches. They snap pretty easily, and with a dip in the land like this, it echoes," the blonde advised.

Miller emerged from the bushes. He smiled. "Thanks for the tip."

"Your men can come into the clearing as well," the auburn smirked. "All seven of 'em. We won't kill ya, as long as you're not Nazis." The seven other men emerged.

"We heard shots, so we thought we'd investigate," Upham spoke up.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Without your weapon loaded?"

"What?" He looked at his weapon and frowned. "I guess so." Mellish shook his head as he handed him some ammunition. He loaded it.

"What are a couple of girls doing out here anyway?" Caparzo asked.

"We've got our reasons," the green eyed woman spoke quickly.

"How'd you know there were seven of us?" Wade asked the red head.

She smirked. "We've got our ways."

"You've got reasons and ways," quipped Wade, "What else?"

"An assignment," the blonde replied.

"Join the club," Horvath jumped in.

"You boys happen to know where Ramelle is?" the brunette asked.

"We're headed that direction," Horvath answered. "We won't go as far, but we know the direction."

"What are your names?" Miller questioned.

"Call me Donnie," said the brunette. "The blonde is Montie, and the red head is Jo."

"Those sure are manly names," Reiben quipped.

"That's the point hot shot," replied Donnie.

"You boys keep a good pace?" asked Montie

"I guess so-"

"Well, let's get going," said Jo as the three girls walked ahead of the men. "We're losing daylight."

Horvath turned to Miller. "What just happened?"

He shrugged while smirking.

* * *

The group of eleven walked through an open field. Donnie stood next to Upham. Montie kept pace with Wade, and Jo kept Horvath company. It was silent as they walked.

"What are your names?" asked Donnie.

Mellish turned and eyed her. "Now she wants to know who we are."

"Just getting to know fellow travelers. So?"

"That's Mellish," Upham offered. "That's Caparzo, Wade, Jackson, Captain Miller, Sergeant Horvath, Reiben up front, and I'm Upham."

"What are you three doing out here in a war?" Caparzo asked.

"Look at that, he's worried," teased Montie.

"I'd bet you'd rather just sleep with us," Jo snidely remarked.

"Maybe. Besides, I'm worried that fine ass of yours might be erased from existence." He laughed.

"Got a fine one yourself," Donnie called up with a smirk.

"What are you doing out here?" Wade persisted. Jo fell back and stood next to him. She looked back at Donnie, who nodded slightly.

"There's a bridge in Ramelle. It's one of three that Nazis are trying to grab. It's becoming more and more likely that Ramelle's the one they're gonna hit."

"So they send three girls for backup, real smart," Reiben muttered. Miller frowned at him. It wiped away as the girls laughed.

"Smarter than you think," the blonde smirked.

"We have…a special skill set," Jo continued, "Elite, if you will."

"Now Jo, don't go setting the bar too high. I'm sure these men are as skilled in their area as we are in ours," Donnie reasoned. "Isn't that right Captain?"

Miller smiled. "She's right. It doesn't matter who's better when we're on the same side."

Moments of silence passed through the search party. Each one kept a sharp eye.

"Montie, Jo, fall back!"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison. Montie fell back next to Upham. Jo stood next to Caparzo. Donnie moved through and stood next to Jackson. The sniper looked at her.

"Where are ya'll from?"

"Montie and I are from New York. Jo is from Chicago. We didn't know each other until we came out here."

"Ah, New York! Best place there is," Reiben spoke with delight.

"You been?"

"For my whole life; Brooklyn to be exact," he said while motioning to his jacket.

"No shit, me too."

Reiben took a double take at the girl. He figured he would've seen her around. Now that he thought of it, she did look familiar.

"What's your favorite color?" asked Jackson.

Donnie giggled. "I can't believe you actually asked that."

"Why's that?"

"Doesn't matter. I like orange," she paused, "What are you guys doing out here? This is too small of a company to be ordinary."

"Well," Miller began, "We are a search party for a Private James Ryan. He has a free ticket home."

"Lucky bastard," Donnie muttered.

"You ladies know him?"

"Can't say we do, Captain," Montie yelled, "We aren't exactly in contact with the regiments."

"Family reasons?" asked the auburn.

"Yeah," Miller replied.

The girls looked at each other as it became quiet. They were all too familiar with the situation, and they knew the odds. The group continued to travel through fields on high guard. The only noise was Miller giving Reiben directions.


	2. Chapter 2-Funeral in Neuville

They soon came to a torn up town. Rain began to pour down on all of them. The street roads were now flooded and swamp-like. Buildings had been shattered to bits. It was all that was left of Neuville. It seemed that the civilization had stopped. Donnie moved closer to Miller.

"There's a sniper nest around here somewhere. I don't know the exact location, but it's here."

"How do you know that?"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"No, Donnie, I do."

She looked in to his eyes as she tried to read him. She nodded her head.

"There are other groups like us that we do keep in contact with. The last one that came through here was ambushed by the sniper. Only one got out."

After processing the thought of a massacre, he nodded and turned to his men. "Be on guard men."

They continued to trek through the village, the girls hung toward the back. Donnie stared at the other two.

"Keep your mind sharp and focused. No slip ups, got it?"

"Yes sir," they answered, quite loudly, in unison.

"Now Jo, keep pace with Wade. Montie, stay on Upham's left side."

They nodded in affirmation and jogged to their respective positions. Donnie scoped the area with her darting eyes as she walked. Her mind stayed focused on ways to avoid disaster. A quick movement of feet caused her to whip her head to the source. She gave a head nod toward Caparzo.

"Why do they call you sir?" he asked.

She smirked. "Same reason you call Miller sir."

"You're a man?"

She laughed lightly. "No. He's in command."

He stayed silent. A loud voice reached all of their ears. It was speaking broken English. Donnie looked at Upham to see him mumbling something. The group of eleven jogged and crouched behind a half blown wall. The brunette's head whipped as she heard Miller yell.

"Thunder!"

A tense feeling overcame all of them. The men gripped their rifles while the girls pulled out a knife.

"Flash!"

They all let go of a breath they had been holding. The Captain turned to his men. "Upham, get over there. Reiben, you four, go first."

"Jo, Montie, tread," called Donnie. The six of them ran in front of the rest. Miller nodded for them to follow. A poor looking fellow ended up next to the Captain. His eyes lit up.

"Boy, are you guys a sight for sore eyes. Sergeant Hill, our relief showed up!"

"How many are you?" asked Hill.

Miller frowned. "Eleven. We're aren't your relief. Sorry."

His shoulders sagged. "What do you mean sir?"

"We're here for a Private Ryan."

"Ryan? What for?"

"Is he here?" Miller persisted.

"I don't know. Maybe he's with a mixed unit on the other side of town. It's hard to get to. The Germans punched a hole in our center, cut us right in two. What's his name again?"

"Ryan. James Ryan. He dropped in with the 101st."

The man looked over his shoulder. "Goldman, get me a runner up here. Come on." Miller, his men, and the girls followed the soldier. They were behind another shattered wall. They crouched low. "We got trapped by some intense rifle action from the east ward. They've been reinforcing two regiments all day. The streets have been quiet for around fourty-five minutes."

"Who's that on the loudspeaker?"

The soldier looked at him. "That's 'Dagwood Dusseldorf', our friendly neighborhood morale officer." Sarcasm was quite evident. They listened.

"'The Statue of Liberty is kaput'." Miller shook his head. "That's disconcerting."

The two remained silent. The other men were having smaller discussions. Most were listening to the loudspeaker.

"Your father was circumcised by my Rabi, you prick," yelled Mellish.

Jo glared at him. "Would you shut up! I'm listening here."

"How about, you shut up?"

"Oh I should shut up?"

"I think the both of you should shut up," Donnie whispered with venom. Jo flinched. Miller faced the others.

"Alright men, head to the east and take the long way around. But be careful," he paused, "especially you girls."

"We'll be fine," Montie assured.

The troops headed through deserted streets. Rain still poured down on top of them. It was silent. Montie stood on Upham's left side while Jo stood next to Wade. Donnie kept pace with Jackson. After a few moments of silence, Upham tried starting a conversation.

"Reiben, where's the captain from?"

He smirked. "You figure that out, you got yourself a nice prize."

"Three hundred bucks last I heard. The Company's got a pool. Five bucks gets you in," Jackson chimed in.

Jo looked back. "Shit. I'm in."

Montie chuckled. "So three hundred and five."

"Somebody must know where he's from, what he did for a living," Upham persisted.

Horvath whispered, "I've been with him since Kasserine Pass and I don't have a clue."

The troops fell silent. Donnie fiddled with one of her knives while observing the area. Jackson eyed the knife cautiously. He switched his gaze to the road ahead of him.

"Reiben," Upham started, "so you don't even know where he went to school?"

"Captain didn't go to school. They assembled him at O.C.S out of spare parts and dead G.I.s."

Caparzo moved closer. "You have to pay attention to detail. I know where he's from and exactly what he did."

Jackson took a wide step. "Hey Upham, careful you don't step in the bullshit."

They quickly came upon another broken wall. They crouched low. Reiben, leading them, moved the company behind a gate. Rushed voices reached their ears. The girls quickly armed themselves with their pistols.

"Thunder," Reiben screamed. The voices silenced themselves. "Thunder! Or we will fire on you!"

A distressed woman started speaking in French. Jo listened intently. Her eyes widened.

"Don't shoot, they're French," she spoke.

"It's a family in a blown building," Donnie added as she kept peering up.

Miller spoke, "Upham, tell them to show themselves."

He peered through the gate while speaking, "Montrez-vous! Montrez-vous!"

A man responded. Jo stood up. "They don't have weapons," she said as if trying to explain her standing up. Montie pulled her down.

"Didn't Donnie say no slip ups?"

Jo held her ground. "They aren't armed!"

"It doesn't mean they aren't surrounded!"

Donnie looked at the two. "Stop, both of you. Stay focused."

"Ask them if they know where the Germans are," Mellish suggested.

By this time, the eleven stood in front of the half blown building. Upham continued to ask the man. He wouldn't listen. He kept yelling. Miller looked at him.

"What are they saying," he asked.

"Something about the children." The father walked in front of them and held his daughter over the men. He continued to speak loudly. "He wants us to take the children," Upham translated.

"No, no, no, we can't take the kids," Miller yelled. The man continued to hold the girl out toward them. "We can't take the kids! No!"

Donnie eyed Jo and Montie. "Don't even think about it."

All three whipped their heads back to the situation. All of a sudden, Caparzo started moving toward the girl. He grabbed her waist and took her from her father.

"Are you nuts? Listen to the captain," Horvath nearly screamed.

"Caparzo! Put that kid back," the captain roared. Ignoring him, Caparzo pulled out his rosary and held it in front of the girl. He tried to calm her down. "CAPARZO!"

"Hey Upham, how do you say 'it's okay'?"

Upham froze as he watched Caparzo walk back toward the company. Donnie gazed at him with slight empathy.

"Ce n'est pas grave," the brunette offered. Caparzo began to say it to the girl.

"Put the girl back," everyone else yelled.

"Put her back," Miller screamed.

"I can't. She reminds me of my niece sir."

"Get that kid back up there," he bellowed.

"Captain, the decent thing to do is take her down the road to the next town," Caparzo defended.

"We're not here to do the decent thing!" Miller grabbed the girl from him. "We're here to follow fucking orders!" Caparzo tried to go after the girl, but stopped. He held back his instinct to comfort her. "Someone take this kid," Miller yelled.

Montie, who was still next to Upham, grabbed the girl from the captain. Jo and Donnie had stayed on the other side. All of a sudden, a bullet whizzed through the air. Everyone looked on in horror as Caparzo tried to stagger to safety. The other men hastily took cover. Montie shielded the girl with her body as they took cover. Jo landed next to Miller and quickly pulled out her pistol. Another shot rang out. Caparzo started to fall. In a decisive move, Donnie tackled him in the direction of Wade, coming shy by a few feet. They were safe nonetheless. The space between the medic and the wounded, however, was not safe.

"Damn it! Where'd that come from?" asked Horvath.

"He was on the ground before we heard the shot," Jackson called out. His eyes fixed on a bell tower as he yelled to his superior. "That's where I'd be. I didn't see it, but I could guess. Four hundred fifty yards, Captain, maybe a shade under." He then directed his comments to his comrades. "I wouldn't venture out there, fellas! This sniper's got talent."

The blonde sniper readied his post quickly and efficiently. He closed an eye while looking through the scope.

"Captain," Caparzo called out. Donnie tried her best to calm him. He was resilient.

"Hold on Caparzo," he ordered. "Donnie, how's he lookin?" The brunette gazed at his wounds. One had hit his diaphragm while the other hit his chest. "Donnie!"

"Jo! Stage Echo!"

Miller looked at Jo. "What's that mean?"

"Severe Cap'n. Echo stands for end," she called so only Miller could hear.

"Help me up," Caparzo insisted, "I can walk! I can walk!"

Donnie could hear the anxiety all in his voice. The verdant eyed girl cradled his head.

"Caparzo! Stay still," Wade called out. The medic seemed as if he was battling to go to his friend or not. His eyes connected with the brunette's. "How is he," he called out, "Is he alright?"

"Wade you stay put," ordered Miller.

"Where's he shot Donnie?" he persisted. "I can't see from here."

"You stay there," the Captain screamed.

The brunette looked at Wade. "Diaphragm and chest." He made a motion to move. "Listen to your captain! Tell me what to do!"

"Damn it! Stay down! What's the matter with you," Hill asked as he kept the medic from attempting to move again. "Who's gonna fix you if you get hit?"

"Caparzo don't move," he called out, "Put your head down! Put your head down!"

The brunette looked into his life-retreating eyes. "Sh, listen to Wade, okay." Her attention turned to the medic. "What should I do?"

"Put pressure on the wounds!"

As she did so, Caparzo reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. Her eyes widened.

"Copy it! Copy it and send it for me," he cried while looking at the boys nearby. He switched his glance to Donnie. "Copy it."

"Carpy, you're gonna send it yourself," Mellish answered. "Put it down!"

He didn't calm down. He took a deep breath. "It's got blood on it. It's-It's-It's to my dad. It's got blood on it."

"Caparzo, just hold on a second longer."

The company became silent. Jackson pulled the trigger as the shot rang out. Mellish grinned.

"We got 'em. We got 'em."

With as much speed as they could muster, everyone, except Montie and the girl, gathered around Caparzo. Donnie moved out of the way for Wade.

"How bad is he?" Mellish questioned worriedly.

"Chest, maybe lung shot," the medic answered.

Montie watched in terror as she felt the girl start to move. She grabbed Caparzo's rosary from her. The child walked back up the rubble toward her parents. Her father picked her up and started speaking to her. She began to slap his face. The blonde woman walked over to Caparzo. Her eyes started to water as she saw him covered with a blanket and lifeless. Her face hardened in defense. Miller came up, grabbed a dog tag and glowered at his men.

"This is why we can't take children." Montie gently sat the rosary in his cold hand. Miller ordered, "Sergeant Horvath, do an ammo check. Upham…canteens. Mellish, check the tower, hustle back here. Right now, go!"

"Jo, with Mellish. Montie, with squad," Donnie muttered in a less authoritative way. "I'll be with Upham, so hand over your canteens."

The girls handed them over into their leader's bloodied hands. For a quick moment, the three stared at each other. Quickly, Donnie left with Upham. Montie walked over and stood next to Wade. Jo hustled over to Mellish with her pistol drawn. He didn't look back.

"I don't need any help," he muttered.

"Well, I've got an order to follow," she said without her usual venom. It surprised him to the point of stopping in his tracks. She halted as well, reaching her hand toward his shoulder.

"You can save your pity for someone else, 'cause I don't need it." He continued on. She snatched her hand back. He heard her quicken her pace.

"You think I'm pitying you? Pity would be saying a stupid phrase like 'I'm sorry for your loss' or 'he's in a better place'. I'm not giving you pity." Her usual venom had returned. Mellish could've sworn he heard regret. She continued. "I liked Caparzo too, ya know. I wish I could've helped him. Shit, I wish I had Jackson's pleasure of killing the bastard with a scope. I wish I could've taken that fucking bullet for him."

"Would you stop?" he asked loudly. "You barely knew him."

Jo maneuvered in front of him. Her brown eyes bore into his.

"That may be true, but I'm not heartless. One thing I do know is he's gone; he left us in the middle of a war. We have to move on. Accept it." She turned her back to him. "Before it kills you too," she whispered.

His eyes widened in shock as the auburn walked away. He couldn't believe her bluntness. He shook his head and followed her into the tower, gun drawn. The pair quickly cleared the tower, in a shared silence, and hustled back to the squad. Donnie handed Jo her canteen. The auburn noticed her hands were clean. She glanced up to see Donnie's face all red from crying. Her gaze connected with Upham: he nodded. The group of now ten continued to walk through the rubble in silence. Donnie was walking with Reiben as she checked the surrounding area. Jo stood next to Wade with a stone face. Montie slowly made her way to Upham's side. He looked at her.

"You're a translator, right?" she asked quietly. He nodded. "What languages?"

"German and French." He noticed her hesitate. "What's on your mind?"

"Well," she lowered her voice even more, "when you guys found us, we were getting rid of Nazis. They were having a conversation, then Donnie gave the signal. We got two in the back. One of the last two egged on Donnie until, well, bang. The last one started to cry. Donnie said 'Feigling', then bang. Any idea what that means?"

Upham frowned. "It means coward."

Her gray eyes widened. "Oh. Thanks."

The blonde watched the back of her friend's head as she walked. Her mind asked why she would call him that. Quickly, she removed the thoughts from her psyche. She had to focus, for now. The search party soon came around the corner.


	3. Chapter 3-Survivor

"Thunder!"

"Flash!"

The ten breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached the other side of the American troops. Donnie pulled her girls to the side. Her face had cleared up some.

"We have to look for a map, and be on our way. It doesn't seem these boys are headed to Ramelle."

"We don't even have a full team," Jo argued.

She put a hand on her chin. "I suppose you're right. We'll stay with them until we sniff out three more. After that, straight to Ramelle."

The two nodded. Their attention shot back toward the troops as a large brick wall fell over. It revealed a large company of Nazis. The three girls pulled out their pistols. Both sides began yelling at each other to drop their weapons, ending up in a miniature stalemate.

"Drop your weapons!"  
"Nicht! Stellen Sie Ihre Waffen hin!"  
"Drop 'em now!"  
"Nein!"  
"Drop the fucking weapons!"  
"Stellen Sie Ihre Waffen hin!"  
"I'll shoot you! I'll shoot you!"

Some shots came from an upward angle. Soon enough, the Germans were dead. Fortunately, they only fired a few shots.  
Miller looked up. The head guy walked down some stairs.

"Fred Hamill, Pathfinders 101st."

"John Miller, 2nd Rangers. Thank you. We're here looking for a Private James Ryan, he's part of your outfit," he explained, "Any chance at all you policed him up?"

"How was the road in?"

"Scenic. We lost most of our ammo," he replied.

"Not to mention one of our men," one of them snarled.

"Lieutenant, re-deploy that bazooka to the right side of the road. And get Ryan up here."

A soldier nodded. "Yes sir. Ryan! Ryan, front and center," he yelled, "Ryan!"

Donnie turned to check on her girls. Her eyes widened as she stared at the blonde. She was biting her lip as crimson bled through her brown shirt.

"Montie! Your arm!"

She nodded. "Only grazed. I'll be fine."

"Wade," she called out. The medic was quickly at her side.

"What do ya need?" he asked.

"Montie was grazed. Patch her up for me, Doc?"

He turned his eyes to the wound and nodded. "Sure." He waved her over. "Let's find a stable place to sit."  
The two walked off. The auburn stood next to her friend.

In a low voice she spoke, "It looked deeper than a graze."

"I know. All we can do is patch it; the rest is up to her."

The two shared an understanding silence. All of a sudden, their ears perked up as they heard a familiar name.  
"Hey Donnie! Is that you?"

The girls turned on their heels to face a woman. She had ebony hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was around five feet tall. She wore green combat boots as well as forest green cargo pants. She wore a light green, no sleeve, shirt. Her hair was in pig tails. A black head band covered her forehead. Donnie beamed.

"Mary? Damn, it is you!" The two jogged over as the brunette landed a hug on her friend. "I thought you were assigned to El Alamein."

"Kicked their asses and was sent out here." Her eyes flicked to the auburn. "Jo? Shit, ain't this a reunion."

Jo smirked. "Nice to see you too Tom-Tom."

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah. We worked together near Leningrad until winter hit the first year. Pete was our leader."

"Ah Pete. I miss her. What happened to her?" asked Jo.

Tom-Tom averted her gaze. "Last I heard, she was captured."

Jo's eyes widened for a split second. Anger boiled up inside of her, yet she refused to let it surface. She soon turned her gaze to her friend.  
"How do you know Donnie?"

She smiled broadly. "We went through basic together, shared a bunk."

"Good times."

"I'll say," Tom-Tom agreed. "So, who's your leader?"

Montie had just walked over with a patched arm. She had heard the new friend's question. She decided to answer.  
"That'd be Donnie." She stuck her hand out to Tom-Tom. "I'm Montie."

"Tom-Tom." The chocolate eyed girl looked at the leader amused. "You're leading?"

She shoved her. "What of it? Actually," she paused, "You with a squad?"

She shook her head. "Nah, haven't been in awhile."

Jo's eyes widened. "Wait…were you with the group that found a sniper?"

"Jo," Montie reprimanded.

"It's okay," Tom-Tom sighed, "But yeah, I was the one that got out."

Donnie frowned and patted her friend's back. "I'm sorry, Mary."

She smiled sadly. "Hey, it happens. What were you saying about a team?"

"We're short by three-"

"I'm in."

Mellish had run over to the group of girls. His eyes were mixed with anger and determination. The strange mix caught the brunette's eye.

"What's up Mellish?"

"Wrong fuckin' Ryan."

Jo was taken back. "What do you mean 'wrong Ryan'?"

"I mean they got the same name except for the one in the middle," he retorted angrily.

Jackson joined the party. He looked at the girls.

"If ya'll are still taggin along, we got a place to stay for the night."

"Taggin along?" Montie asked surprised.

"Yes. You are followin us around."

She raised an eyebrow. "All we need is a map and we'll be gone before the sun sets."

He laughed. "And lose sight of you pretty ladies? Not a chance."

They all laughed as the four girls followed the boys to the church. Donnie stood next to the blonde and checked over her wound. Montie tried to pull away from her vice grip, but the effort was futile. The brunette continued to ask questions about her capability. Jackson glanced over his shoulder at the pair. He had noticed the bandage around her sleeve earlier, and it made him worried. Although her answers said she was fine, he could tell that it bothered her. His attention was ripped away as he heard the voices of his squad. Miller saw them coming and eyed the ebony haired girl.

"Who's this," he asked.

"This is Mary Tomms," the auburn answered, "She's joining up with us."

He stood a moment. Mary offered her hand. He shook it.

"Call me Tom-Tom."

"Captain Miller. Do you know a Private James Ryan?"

She shook her head. "No sir. This is my first week out here in France. I've been in Russia and North Africa, nothing farther."

"It's getting dark," Montie spoke up. "We should get inside."


	4. Chapter 4-Beating the Gums

The group of people walked inside. Horvath and Miller went to the balcony while the rest stayed in the pew area. Donnie watched them go up. When everyone was settled, the brunette made her way to the balcony. The two men looked at her from their seat on the ground. She gave a head nod and squatted.

"We gotta stay with you and your men until we reach Ramelle, or can field a team."

"How many do you need for your team?" asked Horvath.

"Seven, but it works better with six."

"Why not just grab a couple men?"

Donnie chittered lightly. "We need specially trained forces. They only have trained women. They thought it'd best with some separation."

"How long have you been down three?" the captain asked curiously.

"Since Omaha."

"You were on Omaha?"

"No, behind it," she stopped herself. "So, Ramelle or team, whichever's first."

The two men nodded. Donnie smiled and turned to walk away. She stopped herself and looked back.

"I wanna let you know that what you're doing is something I could never do. I respect that, greatly."

Miller smirked. "The feeling is mutual."

The brunette warmly smiled. She walked back down to the pews. Jo and Tom-Tom sat across from Mellish and Reiben, who sat on an odd pew that faced them. They were laughing at how Jackson could fall asleep so easily. Montie was laid out on the pew behind them examining her wound. The blonde listened and laughed as well. She blushed as she made the comment that he looked adorable. Reiben chuckled to himself. Wade continued to talk about how he would pretend to sleep whenever his mother came home. Mary, being sympathetic toward the situation, went over and hugged the medic. After a few minutes, Wade smiled and allowed her to go sit by Jo again. Donnie sat in the pew behind Montie.

"How's it feelin?" she asked.

The blonde sighed. "It's fine Donnie. Would you quit being a mother hen?"

She smirked. "Just making sure you're okay."

"You, Wade, and Jackson keep asking. I don't know why when I give the same answers."

The verdant eyed woman smiled. "Alright, I'll stop." She patted the good shoulder and stood up. "Get some rest, kid."

"That I can do." Montie laughed.

Donnie noticed Miller walk toward Upham. The brunette trekked over to the group of four. She ended up squeezing in between the boys. She looked past her friend's shoulders to see Wade copying Caparzo's letter. A pang of guilt hit her chest. She felt responsible, especially since she had been right there. Upham was the only one who knew how she felt. She had told him when they went to fill the canteens. He told her that it wasn't her fault. That didn't stop her from feeling guilty. Reiben's voice brought her back to the present.

"I still don't get why you girls came out here."

"It was an order," replied Tom-Tom. "Protect and fight against the common enemy known as Germany-"

"Lay down your life for world peace and be granted the honor of a hero," Jo finished.

"Sounds like a bunch of bullshit," Mellish replied amused.

Donnie grinned. "It is bullshit, and it contradicts itself."

"And you still signed up for it?"

"Like Tom-Tom said, it was an order."

There were a few seconds of silence. Reiben decided to pipe up again.  
"How the hell did you get over here?"

"We showed a little leg," Jo joked. The boys grinned at her.

"How much leg?" asked Reiben curiously.

Jo leaned closer. "A lady never tells."

She leaned back as Mary and Donnie exploded with snickers and chuckles. Reiben sat there with a goofy grin while Mellish nodded his head, each picturing their desired amount.

"So," Mellish began, "You ladies happen to have any, eh what's the word, oh yeah, crushes on any of us?"  
The three girls stared at him comically.

"I wouldn't say crush," Tom-Tom smiled sensually.

"What would ya call it then?" Reiben asked.

The auburn smirked at her friend. "Ooo, she wants to screw one of you."

Mary pointed to her. "That's what I'd call it."

"I thought you said you were a virgin," Donnie interrupted.

"Eh, that was back in basic."

"Really?" Mellish replied. "So, uh, who do you wanna screw?"

Tom-Tom glanced over her shoulder to see the, now sleeping, medic. "What can I say?" she whispered, "I have a thing for doctors."

Donnie watched Miller pass the group of five. The two connected gazes. The verdant eyed woman understood and gave an affirmative nod. She turned to see Upham had fallen asleep. She nodded her head at Jo. Grinning widely, the auburn pulled off her black bag and opened it. She dug her hand into it and pulled out a small harp and what looked to be a violin bow. Tom-Tom looked at her friends with a glint of glee.

"What the fuck is that?" Mellish questioned smiling.

Jo began to pick at the strings with her fingertips in a musical fashion. Every so often, she would slide the bow across a few chords to create a few other melodic noises.

"It's our form of entertainment," the brunette answered.

"You boys sing?" the girl with a headband asked amused.

The two glanced at each other and smirked.

"No way in hell," answered Reiben. Mellish nodded in agreement.

"Aw, the big strong men can't sing," Jo cooed teasingly.

"I never said that. I just don't want to."

"Fish, the more you defend yourself, the more guilty you look."

"Thanks for the advice Reiben," he drawled, "Really appreciate it."

Tom-Tom and Donnie started to hum in a low voice. Jo continued to pluck at her instrument. The two harmonized their voices.

"Rollin' down the great wide tide, is a road fit for three. You, the devil, and little ol' me. Time for choice to intervene, who will ya pick. You, the devil, or little ol' me. Here is where we run, far away from the evil one. Now it's just you and little ol' me. Oh! What a great three, you, the devil, and little ol' me. Oh! What a great three, you, the devil, and little ol' me."

They continued to hum the rest of the song. Jo played it through the end. When they finished, there was silence. The auburn nonchalantly put her instrument back into her bag.

"So," Tom-Tom asked, "What did ya think?"

"Shit. It was entertaining."

Donnie laughed. "You sound surprised Reiben."

"Mellish?"

He was smiling as if remembering something. "It was great, really great."

Tom-Tom and Jo yawned. Donnie's eyes glinted at the pair.

"I'd say you two should bunk."

"But Donnie," the chocolate eyed woman whined.

"That's an order." She grinned in amusement. "Goodnight girls."

The two girls stood up and walked to other pews. They spoke a last goodnight and laid on their backs. It wasn't long until they were heavily sleeping. The verdant eyed woman stretched her legs on top of the pew in front of her. Her eyes closed as her lips curled into a smirk.

"I ain't moving guys," she proclaimed.

"Who says we are?" Mellish teased.

She raised her hand. "I believe that'd be me. Go find your own spot before you receive an unwanted gift."

He threw his hands up in protest. "There's no way I'm fuckin with Donnie." He walked around to find a pew of his own.

"Listen to him Reiben, he knows what he's talking about." She laughed lightly.

He stretched his arms out. "I think I'm sleeping right here. I enjoy gifts and being cozy."

Donnie opened one eye and looked at him. "Suit yourself," she paused, "As long as you don't mind being kicked up your ass."

"You wouldn't…"

She grinned maliciously. "Try me."

He smirked and stood up. His gaze didn't move as he swept his hand through his hair.

"Maybe some other time," he whispered. "Goodnight Sweetheart."

"Night hot shot." Donnie laughed as she leaned back onto the pew and closed her eyes. She was soon asleep.


	5. Chapter 5-Bomb Squad

Montie, Jo, and Tom-Tom stood behind Upham and Wade. Their faces held a look of warning. Tom-Tom and Jo closed one of their eyes as they tried to look away. Reiben smirked at the three in amusement.

"Oh, don't wake her up," Montie pleaded.

"Someone's gotta" Reiben replied.

"She wakes up on her own. If someone wakes her up, then…cranky Donnie comes."

The New Yorker chuckled. "You're afraid of her being cranky?"

"It's no joke," said Tom-Tom. "One time, back in basic, I tried to wake her up and she punched me, twice."

"She reached for her pistol when I woke her up," Jo added.

Reiben looked at them with an amused expression. He rolled his eyes and turned to the sleeping brunette. The three girls began to squeal. Jo gripped Upham while Montie gripped Jo. Tom-Tom hid behind Wade's back. The two smirked at each other. Jackson turned his head and grimaced; Mellish rolled his eyes. Reiben bent over and shook Donnie's shoulder.

"Hey, Sweetheart, wake up. Time to go," he drawled.

In a quick instant, the brunette grabbed a hidden dagger. She jolted upright and held the knife to his neck. Reiben's eyes were wide with fear. Her eyes growled at him.

"Damn it Reiben! I could've killed you!" She put her dagger away and rubbed her eyes. Reiben stood there, frozen. She continued, "Didn't anyone tell you not to wake me up?"

She shoved him back onto the pew. He gave her a dumbfounded expression.

"We told him not to," Montie jumped in.

"Oh, so he's just stupid."

Jackson, Mellish, and Wade laughed. The girls and Upham quickly joined in. Reiben snapped his head over and glowered at them. The three called him various names that implied he was a wimp. Miller and Horvath walked into the church.

"What's so funny?" the captain asked.

"Reiben lost his balls," Tom-Tom blurted out.

The comment made the rest of them laugh harder. Montie was holding onto Jackson's shoulder as she bent over. Mellish had tears in his eyes, and Upham had moved to the silent laugh. In the midst of their laughing, Donnie moved out of the pew. The laughing soon died down.

"Girls, grab your gear…now," she spoke in a cranky manner.

The three nodded and followed orders. Seeing as how their load was light, they were done quickly. Miller's men grabbed their stuff as well. In a matter of moments, the four girls and five boys stood in front of Horvath and Miller.

"Let's head out men," said the Captain.

The group of eleven walked out of the church and headed towards the fields. Judging by the amount of darkness, it was early morning. Tom-Tom smirked as she saw Reiben still upset over the teasing. She chuckled to herself. The company was silent as they hiked through open fields. There was the occasional question from Wade asking if Montie's arm was okay. Otherwise, it was silent. Donnie scoped the surrounding area and walked with Upham. Montie walked next to Wade by his request. Jo lead the way with Reiben. Tom-Tom kept pace with Mellish. The ebony haired woman noticed him mumbling. She wanted to ask, but held it in. No one wanted to break the silence. The sky began to lighten as the sun started to rise. A small glint caught the auburn's eyes. She held out her arm to stop Reiben.

"Hold up," she commanded. They all stopped.

"What's the big idea?" asked the Captain.

Ignoring him, she called, "Donnie, you need to see this!"

The brunette with a braid hustled to the front. The two crouched low to the ground. Jo gently brushed away some grass to reveal a shiny line. The two looked at each other worriedly.

"You think you can do it?" Donnie questioned.

"This may need a finer touch."

She gave a curt nod. "Montie, Tom-Tom, on the double!"

Jo turned toward Horvath. "Sorry Sarg, Cap. We have a delicate situation."

"What do you mean?"

"This shiny piece of light is actually a line connected to a nearby mine field. You trip it and step on that, bye bye boys."

"Can't we step over it?" Horvath spoke up.

"No can do. For all we know, that field could be right over the wire, and sometimes the wire is used to create an ambush."

Miller frowned. "Anything we can help you with?"

"Stay back and give us cover. I suspect some men are guarding it."

Miller nodded. He turned around. "Men, give the girls some room. They may need some cover."

The two remaining girls rushed to their leader. All four wore a face of seriousness.

"Montie, we need you to disable the field. Tom-Tom, you and I are gonna help with cover: I don't want these men to be surprised. Jo, stay with Montie and help any way you can. We must do this quickly and well. Got it?"

"Yes sir," they answered.

Tom-Tom and Donnie walked away. The auburn looked at the blonde with empathy.

"We'll get through this," she said.

"We have to, don't we?"

* * *

Donnie and Tom-Tom crawled next to the men. Tom-Tom glared at Jackson.

"Lemme see your gun."

His eyes went wide. "No!"

"Shit Jackson, just hand it over." He shook his head. "I just need the fuckin scope!" He reluctantly handed it over. "Damn," she muttered.

Tom-Tom crawled a little farther away and looked through the scope. She moved slowly to avoid attracting attention. A shift of movement behind a tree caught her eye. She caught sight of a rifle. She continued to look through the glass. Donnie crawled up next to her.

"How many we got?"

"Four riflemen and three pistols."

"Fuck," she paused, "Tell Miller and them where the riflemen are, then we'll take on the pistols."

"Yes sir," Tom-Tom replied.

She crawled her way back to the huddle. Jackson gave her a strange look as she handed him his gun. She then crawled over to Miller and Horvath.

"What's the situation?" whispered Horvath.

"There are four riflemen behind that tree line. Donnie wants you to go at 'em. Her and I will take out the other three."

"What other three?"

Tom-Tom smirked. "You didn't think we were the only ones to send in special forces, did you?" She held up her pistol and winked. Her face became serious. "Donnie didn't want a thing like this to plague your minds. That's our problem."

The two gave the girl a supportive nod. She crawled back to her leader.

"Alright," Miller started, "Let's give the girls some cover."

In a matter of moments, the rest of the men were clued in to the plan. Each one readied their position. They crawled closer to the tree line where the enemy was hiding. The silence was soon filled with rapid gunfire. Two men dropped dead. Another tried to run at the company: he quickly fell. An eerie stillness filled the air as they waited for the fourth. Jackson heard a rustle to his right. Quickly catching sight of the enemy, he shot him in his tracks. The company slowly stood up. Tom-Tom walked over to the boys.

"Nice shooting," she complimented.

"Where's Donnie?" Upham asked worriedly.

All of their eyes widened. A sudden roar brought their attention to the tree line. Donnie and a woman covered in mud circled each other. Donnie had pushed her in to the open. The brunette wore a scowl on her lips. She held two knives, one in each hand. The enemy quickly rushed her. Donnie ducked and drove the dagger into the enemy's back.

"Look away...now," Tom-Tom commanded fiercely.

The men looked away just as Donnie snapped the woman's neck. She fell to the ground. The verdant eyed leader retrieved her weapon from the cadaver. She cleaned it on the grass and walked over to Jo and Montie. Tom-Tom brought the men as they made their way to the same place.

Donnie crouched. "How's it look, Jo?"

"The wire is an active trip."

"And the mines are where?" asked Tom-Tom.

"A couple steps that way," Jo replied while pointing to the right of the group.

Montie spoke without glancing back, "I still need a few minutes."

"Keep working Montie, you're doing good," Donnie assured her. "Jo, give the signal when she's done." She turned and faced Miller. "I suggest we hide in the grass again."

"Why's that?" he asked bluntly.

"If someone comes through that tree line and sees the dead, and then us...well, let's just say we'll be singing with Jesus."

He nodded. "Alright men. You heard the lady."

The company slowly sunk back into the grass, a few feet from Jo and Montie. Tom-Tom sat between Wade and Jackson. Donnie had made her way between Miller and Reiben. She laid her legs in front of her.

"So," the Captain began, "When you said you were behind Omaha-"

She smirked. "We were literally behind the beach and trenches."

"How does that happen?" asked a surprised Reiben.

The brunette took a deep breath. "We got orders a couple days ahead of the invasion to infiltrate behind the lines. Once we were back there, we were supposed to clean out the back lines and move forward." She glanced around to see everyone listening patiently. "We had a unit at each location, even with Patton. They ranged from six to seven women a unit. At night we would cut at 'em, ya know, little by little. The day the invasion began, we fought in daylight. It wasn't as hard as the front lines by far, but…" She shook her head. "We lost Phil and Jon fighting. Spence, our medic, couldn't save Will. They were best friends, like Carp and Fish. Spence, she was angry at the Germans. Before we could stop her, she ran straight at the remaining back lines. That was the last we saw her alive."

Mellish grimaced. "Lousy bastards," he muttered.

"What happened after that?" Upham questioned.

"After burying the others, Jo, Montie, and I ran to the forest. We waited until we got the orders from Ramelle. We headed inward, then you guys found us." She snorted. "You were the first men to see one of our units. That's part of our deal; be shadows. That's why we came from behind."

They stayed silent. Upham turned his gaze in the direction of the other two girls. Horvath and Miller glanced at each other with sadness. Donnie drew her knees in as Reiben gently shouldered her. The brunette's ears perked up just as the auburn let out a long, high pitched whistle. Donnie nodded at Tom-Tom. She grinned.

"Looks like the wire snapped."

The nine gradually stood up, watching their backs, and walked over to the two girls. Jo was standing while the blonde wiped sweat off her forehead. Jackson slyly smiled and held out his hand.

"Nice work."

"Thanks." She smirked as she grabbed his hand and stood up.


	6. Chapter 6-Onward

The group of eleven continued onward. Jo walked with Horvath. Montie kept pace with Mellish. Tom-Tom stood next to Wade. Donnie hung back with Upham. All eleven of them were too deep in thought to start up a conversation. They walked well in to the afternoon. It was an hour past noon when Jo's eyes lit up. Her ears perked up as well. Without thinking, she sprinted ahead of the group.

"Jo," Horvath yelled.

She ignored him and kept running.

"Shit," Montie cursed, "Alright boys, you take your time. We'll meet you over the hill."

Donnie, Montie, and Tom-Tom ran after their friend. The gray eyed blonde was the first to reach her pace. The brown eyed girl and the verdant eyed leader soon followed. They had reached the top of the hill. Tom-Tom hunched over and held her knees.

"Why…are you…sprinting?" she huffed.

She was answered by Montie jumping in the air and screaming. The ebony haired woman glanced up and beamed with joy. They saw an American camp in the distance with a plane. She began to laugh gleefully.

"God bless America," Donnie said with relief.

Jo started to cartwheel down the hill. The other three girls soon followed. Their actions calmed down as they made it to the camp. They walked through a canopy like structure to get to the other side. Their happy expressions increasingly mellowed as they saw men wounded and no medic in sight. Miller's men soon caught up with the women.

"Wade," Miller called.

"Yes sir."

"See what you can do to help out."

He nodded in affirmation and made his way to the wounded. The captain and sergeant went to look for the man in charge. Donnie gazed at the people.

"Montie, Tom-Tom. Help Wade." They nodded as they followed the medic. Donnie turned to the auburn. "Jo, help me sniff out another."

"Yes sir."

The two spun on their heels and ventured deeper in to the camp. After some coaxing, the rest of Miller's men dispersed through the wounded. Montie sat next to a crying man. One of his arms had been shot. The dirty blonde gripped her own patch. She took his uninjured hand in hers. He gripped it tightly.

"Wh-Who are you?" he asked between sobs.

"My name's Rae. What's yours?"

"D-David Smith. Are you an angel?"

She giggled. "No. Do you like lullabies?"

He nodded his head slowly. She began to sing soft melodies to him. At the same time, she was changing the bandages covering his wounds. Jackson glanced up as he heard her voice. He smiled softly and refocused on applying pressure to a wound. Tom-Tom stuck to Wade's side and acted as his assistant. She would talk to the men while he worked. On the other side of camp, Donnie and Jo were talking to a private. His eyes were wide with surprise. Donnie shook her head.

"Jo, you try."

She smirked. "It's like he's never seen tits," she muttered to herself. The earth brown eyed woman smacked the boy on the shoulder. "Listen Bud. We need to know if you've seen other women around these parts. Ones with knives and pistols. It's absolutely necessary for us to know."

"He doesn't say much," a deeper voice spoke up.

The girls turned to see a taller and stronger man.

"Maybe you'd like to help us then," Donnie replied. "We're lookin to know if other women have passed through here."

"I don't know about passing through, but there are a couple here."

Her eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" She glanced at the auburn. "Relay."

She nodded slowly. "Yes sir."

She walked back toward the middle of the camp. Her brown eyes wandered as she looked around. She saw Reiben lighting a cigarette for an injured soldier, while Wade was putting pressure on a bullet wound on another man. Tom-Tom was talking with a man who seemed angry. Montie stood off to the side taking deep breaths. The blonde walked over to Upham, Miller, and Horvath. Jo smirked when she saw Mellish. He was holding up his dog tag. Even from where she was standing, she could hear his taunt.

"Juden," he said. "Juuuuuuden!"

Jo walked over to Montie as Miller's men, except Wade, walked in to the plane. Tom-Tom soon joined them.

"What's up?"

"We may have found two more. Donnie's checking it out."

The blonde frowned. "I'd hate to leave the boys now."

"Well, we have to now. They have their mission, we have ours. If we have to separate, then we do-ow," the auburn exclaimed as she was shouldered. She turned to glare at a smirking Jackson. "Watch yourself!"

"We have some dog tags to look through," he replied.


	7. Chapter 7-A Lead and Conflict

Montie giggled to herself. Tom-Tom turned to follow the men. Montie and Jo waited for their other friend. Mellish, Jackson, and Reiben sat at a makeshift table as they started to sift through the bag. Each began to read the names off the plates. The three boys made certain wagers that they knew they wouldn't hold.

"Hey, Jackson, keep the dog tags in your own fucking pile, alright? They're getting mixed up with mine. How am I supposed to know who we got," Reiben snapped, as he tossed some over towards the sniper. Jackson glared at him, a disgusted look crossed his face.

"Hey, Reiben, why don't you shut up?" he retorted before continuing to sift through the pile.

"Hey, everybody be friends, okay," Mellish interjected.

There was a bit of silence as they tossed the wrong tags on to the table. They clanked as they fell in an almost playful manner.

"I think I got a winner," the blonde spoke after some time.

"Check that out Mellish."

Mellish snatched the tag from his grip, examining it before giving a scoff.

"You're a genius. You really are. R-I-E-N-N-E. That's Rienne, and it's French, alright? You know what that means?"

"It means nothin'."

The tedious task had now turned into a game. They acted as if it was poker. Miller stood off to the side amused. Tom-Tom hid her face as she saw the faces of those marching past. All of a sudden, Wade stomped over and started grabbing dog tags. He shoved them back into the bag with a scowl.

"The whole goddamn airborne is watching. These aren't poker chips." He continued to round up the tags. "Put them back in there!"

He promptly slammed the bag back down onto the table. He turned on his heels and walked back to the injured. The captain glanced at the handful he had been holding. A frown appeared on his face. Miller became agitated. He started walking in the line of men, mumbling something. The three girls watched him skeptically. All of a sudden, the Captain started yelling.

"Ryan!" He lowered his voice. "Maybe the locals have seen him." He walked up to an older French couple. "Hey, you know. Uh excusez-moi. Parlez-vous Ryan, James Ryan? Merci. Merci beaucoup." He turned his attention to the soldiers. "Ryan! Anybody know Ryan, 101st Airborne? Ryan? You know a guy named Ryan? Private James Ryan from Iowa? Anybody know a Ryan? James Ryan!"

A soldier stopped in front of the disgruntled man. After some chatter, they walked up to a man with a bloody ear. The girls' attention was ripped away when they each felt a tap on their shoulders. They turned around to see Donnie and two other girls.

"What's up with Miller?" asked the brunette.

"I think the pressure finally hit him," Montie whispered sadly.

"What would you do?" Tom-Tom defended.

"These are the recruits?" Jo interrupted before the girls could fight.

Donnie nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm Bo," said a violet eyed girl. She had jet black hair that was in a low bun. She wore a colorful beaded bracelet around her bicep. Her shirt was a dark green with no sleeves.

"And I'm Jack," a sunshine blonde haired girl spoke up. Her eyes were a bright blue. Her hair stopped a little above her shoulders and was out of a ponytail. She wore a light brown T-shirt. A silver and blue clip held back her bangs.

"Pleasure to meet you," replied Montie. "I'm Montie, that's Jo and Tom-Tom. I'm sure Donnie already introduced herself."

"That she did," replied Bo. "Although, she didn't tell us what was goin on."

"Yeah," Montie drawled, "she does that."

All of a sudden, Upham ran up to the squad. He had an excited expression painted on his face.

"Hey Upham."

"Hey girls!"

"Meet Bo and Jack." Donnie smiled. "They complete the team, and one of them has a map!"

"What's that mean?"

Montie frowned. "We have to leave you guys while we continue to Ramelle."

His grin grew broader. "No you don't!"

"It's not that we want to, but we have to," specified the auburn. Just then, Reiben walked up behind Upham with a smirk.

"Guess who's going to Ramelle, Sweetheart," he proclaimed.

"Oh boy," the brunette groaned playfully, "Don't tell me it's you hot shot."

He smirked. "Would you be surprised?"

"Hardly."

Montie squealed. "This is great! First, we get a full team, then a map, and now the boys get to come!"

"Don't you mean Bumpkin gets to come?" asked the Brooklyn man.

She only blushed. Donnie excused herself and jogged over to Miller. He had an authoritative look on his face. He gave her a sideways glance. After finishing his conversation, he turned to the brunette.

"You wanna tell me why you're headed to Ramelle?" Donnie instigated.

He raised a brow. "What is your concern?"

"My concern is you and your men abandoning a mission just to 'protect' us girls. I'm damn sure we can cover our own asses."

He chuckled. "We aren't abandoning our post, Donnie. Ryan is in Ramelle."

Her eyes lit up. "Are you positive?"

"No, but it's the only lead we have."

She nodded her head. "Alright. We found two more so, that completes my team."

Miller was about to reply when he heard Jackson yell. He whipped his head to the source. His eyes caused Donnie to look as well. The two jogged over. Miller stopped Jackson from moving forward. The brunette stood in front of her girls.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked harshly.

Jackson answered. "That's my baby sister!"

The angry leader glowered over her shoulder. "Lemme guess, Jack."

"Her name's Dinah Lee," the sniper said less aggressively. "And she shouldn't be here."

"I want to be here, Daniel," Jack defended. "I want to help, and being a common housewife isn't gonna cut it."

He shook his head and walked away. Montie made a move to follow, but was stopped by the brunette. She gave her a simple sideways glance. Understanding, she didn't continue. After an hour or so, the group of now thirteen headed to their destination. It was quiet most of the way. Jo walked with Miller; Tom-Tom stood next to the medic; Montie walked slightly behind Jackson; Bo kept pace with Mellish and Upham. Donnie and Jack took up the rear. The short haired blonde hung her head as they marched.

"He hates me," she muttered.

"Why would you say that?" asked the brunette.

"He won't talk to me. Hell, Daniel won't even look at me!"

"He's just upset. He loves you, that's why he's mad."

Her shoulders sagged. "That doesn't make sense."

"And love does? Shit, nothing makes sense."

"Donnie," Miller called.

By this time, they were in a field with dead cows. A small patch of forest was nearby. She grabbed Jack's arm and moved her forward. The leader looked at Bo. Donnie decided to sign.

-Keep an eye on her.-

-What for?- asked the jet black haired girl.

-She isn't focused on her surroundings.-

-Alright. I have her back.-

-Good.-

The verdant eyed woman hustled up to Miller.

"We've spotted some Germans past this hill. There was a flash of light making me think of…"

"Enemy special forces," Donnie finished. She nodded. "Did you catch how many?"

"There were only two that I could see," Horvath added.

"Bo! Jack! Jo! On the double," she called.

Jackson flinched when he heard his sister called. The three girls jogged up to their leader. Jo led the way.

"What do ya got Donnie?"

"Horvath spotted two pistols and I want you three to take them out. Jo, you run point. Montie, Tom-Tom, and I will help Miller and his men."

"Yes sir."

"Now go and wait until you hear gunfire."

With one last look at all of them, Bo and Jack started jogging away. Jo was just about to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a worried Jackson. She smiled sympathetically.

"I won't let her get close," she paused, "Now go kick some Nazi ass." She patted his back and jogged away.

Jackson smirked and walked over to his squad and the remaining three girls.


	8. Chapter 8-Lousy Kraut

"What is it?" Upham asked as they all huddled around to hear an explanation.

"Machine gun. Probably MG-42," Horvath answered.

"Maybe one of them's our boy," Mellish implied. They had all been thinking the same thing when they saw the dead bodies.

"No, their patches are 82nd, so your luck's not that good," Miller said.

"You know, I don't know how fast the rest of you Betties are, but I'm thinking we detour this way quick and quiet, the krauts will never even know we were here," Reiben suggested.

"Betties," Tom-Tom scoffed. "How appropriate."

"So, Captain, what I'm trying to say is, why don't we just go around the thing?" finished the Brooklyn man.

"I hear what you're saying," Miller said while removing items from his uniform. "But we can't cut around it."

"I'm with Reiben, sir. I mean, we left them 88s," Jackson reasoned.

"For the air force. The air force isn't gonna spend ordinance on one machine gun," Miller said, pulling a few grenades out of his bag and placing them in his helmet.

"Especially one that's out in a practically open field," the brunette reasoned, "They'd see it before it even had a chance."

"Uh, Captain," Mellish said. "We can still skip it and accomplish our mission. I mean, this isn't our mission, right, sir?"

"Oh, that's what you want to do, Mellish? You just want to leave it here so they can ambush the next company that comes along?"

"No, sir, that's not what I'm saying. I'm simply saying, it seems like an unnecessary risk given our objective, sir," Mellish said calmly while censoring his words.  
Captain Miller put his bag back on.

"Our objective is to win the war," he said.

"Sir, I just, uh, I don't have a good feeling about this one," Reiben hesitantly spoke.

"Well, when was the last time you felt good about anything?" He put his helmet on and ran over to an opening in the fencing. They followed him close behind. "Alright, three runners with suppressing fire. Mellish, you hook to the right," Miller said, forming his plan. "I'll go up the middle. Who's going left?" The captain looked at them. "Who's going left?"

"I'll do it," Jackson offered. "I'll go left."

"Alright," Miller said. "Upham, switch off with Jackson. Linger in the rear. We advance and keep pressure on him till he has to change out his barrels," Miller told them. Everyone was loading their guns and removing heavy gear from their back and sides. "I think we should be able to hit him from grenade range."

"Maybe I should go up the middle, sir," Horvath suggested.

"The way you run? I don't think so," Miller said.

"Maybe I should go left, sir," he persisted. Montie gazed at him curiously, and wondered why he was so eager.

"Maybe you should shut up," Miller angrily said. "Reiben, base of fire. Mags and clips where you can reach 'em and…and extra grenades for the base runners," Miller ordered.

Donnie turned toward her girls. "Montie, Tom-Tom, we're going to mirror a Y formation."

"I'll be stem."

"No Montie. You'd be of better use on the right branch. Tom-Tom."

"Yes sir?"

"You take stem."

"Aye aye cap-ee-tahn," the ebony haired girl mockingly saluted.

"Cover the men as best you can."

The two nodded.

* * *

Closer to the sandbags, the other three girls crouched low. They waited for the gunfire. The auburn had told Jack to act as backup. Bo and Jo would go at the enemy forces. The three had their pistols loaded and held a knife in their other hand. All of a sudden, gunfire rang through the air. Jo and Bo sprung into action and charged at the Nazi women. The red head unloaded a bullet in one of their stomachs. She quickly followed it with a neck snap. The violet eyed woman dislodged two of her bullets in to a second woman. Jack eyed the surrounding area. A shiny glint caught her eye. She aimed and pulled the trigger. A third special force fell to the ground. The three advanced deeper in to the bunker, successfully knocking down two more. The mass amount of gunfire ceased. The three searched until they found the company of men surrounding a small area.

"Shit," Bo muttered.

"Man down," Jo yelled.

The three hopped over the bunker and sprinted over. Each let out a gasp of horror as they saw Wade on the ground; critically wounded.

"Hill's clear! Four down and dead!" Horvath yelled.

"Make that nine," Jack added.

"Upham! Grab the gear and get up here! We need water!" Miller yelled.

"Get the morphine out of the extra medical kit!"

Jackson tore open Wade's shirt to reveal four bullet holes. Blood was pouring from them. Donnie's eyes were wide with fear and anger. She began to put pressure on his wounds.

"Son of a bitch," Horvath cursed.

"Get some sulfa on there," Miller commanded as Upham arrived.

"Move my legs up! Move my legs up!" Wade yelled in agony.

"Listen to my voice," Mellish told him.

"You're gonna be alright, Doc," Miller said, ripping open another packet of sulfa.

"How's it look?" Wade asked.

"Wade, you're fine," Mellish answered him in an even tone. "You're going on a hospital ship."

"Pull my legs up. Pull my legs up," Wade repeated quickly.

"I got 'em," Horvath said, lifting the medic's legs.

"How's it look?" he kept asking. Horvath gave him morphine in his left leg. "Am I shot in the spine?" Wade managed to ask between forced breaths.

They turned him over on his side to examine his back. Miller told him about the exit wound. They set him back down and Reiben walked away. The poor boy gagged and blood spilled from between his lips. The men began to cover the wounds. Mellish showed Wade with his other hand where the biggest wound was.

"Oh my god, my liver!" Wade yelled, obviously panicked. "Oh my god, it's my liver."

"Come on Wade. Stay with us," the verdant eyed woman yelled. Her eyes held the same agony.

"Come on Wade. Tell us how to fix you," Upham pleaded.

"What should we do?" one of the men asked.

"I…could use…more morphine."

The men looked at each other and nodded. Horvath injected more in to his leg. Donnie gripped his shoulders.

"Get through this," she muttered as his eyes lost life. "Live damn it!"

Jackson had Upham hold Wade's head. He then pulled Donnie into a standing position and led her away. She began to ramble. "No…no! Not you too, Wade." She made a quick turn and screamed, "Wade!" The sniper caught her before she could run back. "Just like Caparzo and Spence," she muttered, "Just like Spence…" she paused as her head whipped around. "Where's Mary," she asked quietly. "Mary!"

She squinted her eyes to see a motionless body. She rushed over only to confirm her suspicions. Her eyes stared into empty chocolate brown ones. Tears were no longer an option. Rage had taken over her being. The other four had run over as well. Montie sadly grabbed Tom-Tom's headband and handed it to the red head. She laid it in her bag. Jo shut the girl's eyes as some tears dropped. Montie began to sob as she realized how it could have been her. Donnie let out a terrifying scream as she rushed to where she saw Reiben go. The New Yorker, Jackson, and Mellish were beating on the Nazi that had killed Wade. The enraged woman pounced on top of the man and began to punch his face ferociously. The Nazi's eye reflected sheer terror.

"Ist das komisch?" she asked tauntingly. "Magst du Frauen töten?"

"Es war nicht ich," he pleaded.

She spit on him. "You damn son of a bitch! Liar!"

Reiben began to pull her off by her stomach. She fought him until he set her on a sandbag. Her anger had turned into remorse and grief. The normally strong leader let out a sob of mourning on Reiben's jacket. He rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Why does that fucker get to live?" she cried. "He killed Mary _and_ Wade."

Bo, Montie, Jack, and Jo made their way to their leader. All of them held a blanket of grief. Reiben glanced and nodded in their direction. He slowly stood up and followed Miller, Horvath, and Jackson up the hill. A few moments later, Mellish followed them to where the Nazi and Upham were.

* * *

**AN:**

**Donnie's taunt roughly translates to: "Is this funny?...Do you like killing women?"**

**His response is roughly: "It wasn't me."**


	9. Chapter 9-Tension

Jo knelt in front of the depressed woman. Her verdant eyes connected with honey brown ones.

"You should lead," she whispered.

Jo's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't do it anymore."

"No, Donnie. I won't lead because you will. You can't give up. Remember why we agreed to this assignment?"

She nodded. "To go home," she paused, "I just-I can't-"

"You can," the dirty blonde chimed in, "And we can't go home without you. We need you to lead us. We won't leave you."

"You'd rather have a leader that led a friend to her death than-"

"That wasn't your fault, boss." The brunette looked up to see violet eyes. "That piece of shit is to blame."

Donnie's eyes moved to all four of their faces. She knew she couldn't leave them. The guilt had to subside, for now. She wasn't going to let her friend die for nothing. Gripping her cross, she stood up and nodded.

"Alright. But I get to kill that fucker."

The four smiled and nodded. Montie looked over to see Jackson nearby. Her eyes widened as she jogged over.

"You've been hit," she whispered worriedly.

"Just a graze, kinda like yours," he half smiled.

Their eyes connected. "Let me help you with it," she muttered.

He nodded in agreement. When she was done, the dirty blonde jogged back over to her squad. They stood by the sandbags, unsure of what to do. They were each in their own haze of reality. None of them realized time was passing. Their attention was turned to a returning Miller. He was angrily dragging the Nazi. The rest of the men followed him. Upham was closest.

"Tell him," Captain Miller spoke to the translator, "to march a thousand paces in that direction. Then he can take off the blindfold. We'll be gone, and he turns himself in to the first Allied patrol he comes across."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Reiben protested, "You're letting him go?"

"He's a P.O.W., Reiben. Can't take him with us. Our guys will pick him up sooner or later," the Captain explained.

Upham followed orders and translated to him. The man seemed sad and relieved. He started walking as Reiben continued to rant.

"Only if he doesn't get picked up by his own wermacht first, then thrown back into circulation," Reiben told him. He walked straight up to Miller. "Captain, you just let the enemy go."

"Need I remind you he killed two of us," Bo added as she threw her hands in the air, "This has FUBAR written all over it!"

An eerie, and tension-filled, silence covered them.

"This is such bullshit," Mellish complained.

"Ya'll got that right," the sniper growled.

"Mmhmm," Montie agreed while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Bullshit?" Upham asked surprised. "This is bullshit? But shooting a prisoner, that'd be okay?"

"Would you shut your mouth," Mellish retorted.

"It's against the goddamn rules!"

"Yeah, well the goddamn rules just walked off with your new friend," Reiben scoffed. "But I guess that was the, uh, decent thing to do, huh, Captain?"

"Look where decency got Carp," Jo muttered to herself.

Miller ignored all of them. "Grab your gear. Let's go," he said and began gathering his things.

"You heard him. Gear up," Horvath ordered. Absolutely no one moved. "The Captain just gave you an order," Horvath said to everyone.

Donnie shot him an icy stare.

"Yeah," Reiben replied, "Like the one he gave to take this machine gun. That was a real doozy, wasn't it, Sarge?"

"Soldier, you are way outta line," Horvath told him.

Reiben ignored him and walked back over to the Captain who was throwing on his bag.

"Yes, sir, that was one hell of a call, coming to take this nest. But, what the hell, we only lost one of ours guys going for it. Oh, and how could I forget, a woman too." They all watched as Reiben threw his arms down angrily on the sandbags in front of Miller. "I swear I hope Mama Ryan's real fuckin' happy knowing that little Jimmy's life is more important than two of our guys and one of Donnie's girls!" he yelled. "Then again we haven't found him yet, have we? Have we?!"

He was thrown to the ground by Horvath.

"Gear up, and fall in," he instructed him.

"I'm done with this mission," Reiben said.

He picked up his gun, and headed towards the direction they had first come in. Horvath chased after him.

"Don't you walk away from your captain. Reiben, get back in line," he ordered again. Reiben turned to face him.

"I'll spend the rest of my life in the stockade if I have to, but I'm done with this," he said.

"I'm not going to ask you again, soldier," Horvath said, drawing his pistol.

He aimed it right at Reiben as hell broke out. Every single person was yelling except for Captain Miller. Donnie quickly round up her girls and pulled them away from the stalemate. She wasn't about to let her girls get in the middle, no matter how badly they all wanted to intervene. Jack tapped her shoulder.

"I see him," she whispered while motioning in the distance.

The Nazi was walking back with two other men. Miller's men hadn't seen him yet.

"Come with me, Jack."

The two headed down the hill. In quick and swift movements, all three were dead. The two cursed as they realized they had mistaken the identities of the men. Donnie picked up their guns and ran back to her girls. She dropped the weapons onto the ground. The men were still yelling.

"That bastard dead?" Jo asked.

Donnie simply nodded. Jack gave her a questioning look and was curious as to why she lied. All of a sudden, Miller spoke.

"Hey Mike, what's the pool on me up to right now?" Everyone fell silent and stared at him. "What is it up to? 300, is that it?"

"Three oh five," Montie answered.

"I'm a schoolteacher," he told them. "I teach English Composition in this little town called Addley, Pennsylvania. The last eleven years, I've been at Thomas Alva Edison High School."

Horvath lowered his gun and they all listened carefully. Jack walked next to her brother. The two looked at each other with a bit of understanding.

"I was the coach of the baseball team in the springtime. Back home, when I'd tell people what I do for a living, they'd think 'Well, that figures.' But over here, it's a big mystery. So, I guess I've changed some," he paused, "Sometimes I wonder if I've changed so much, my wife is even going to recognize me whenever it is I get back to her. And how I'll ever be able to tell her about days like today." He shook his head. "Ah, Ryan, I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. That man means nothing to me. He's just a name. But if, you know. If going to Ramelle and finding him so he can go home, if that earns me the right to get back to my wife, well then that's my mission. You want to leave?" he asked Reiben. "You want to go off and fight the war? Alright. Alright, I won't stop you. I'll even put in the paperwork. I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel," Captain Miller said before walking away.

Reiben gazed at his back with questions rolling through his head. He slowly walked in the direction they had come. The sound of feet approaching slowed him even more.

"Hey, hot shot," Donnie's voice rang. He turned around to see her holding a Nazi's gun. She frowned. "I thought you'd wanna know…"

He sighed heavily. "Thanks."

She put a hand on the part of his shoulder and neck. She rubbed her thumb back and forth. She set down the rifle. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she hugged him. After whispering a thanks, she let go. Her verdant eyes glinted as she headed back to her girls. Reiben groaned and followed her. Donnie walked over to Horvath. He glanced at her.

"Hey Donnie." When she didn't answer, he looked up to see her icy stare. "Something wrong?"

"Let's get one thing straight. My girls are my girls, and we do not have to follow Miller's orders. Our ranks supersede those of yours."

He straightened his back and nodded. "Understood."

Her stare melted into a smile. "Good. No hard feelings, okay?"

Horvath smirked. "Okay kid."

Donnie turned to see her girls with their gear on. The men also had their gear on. She jogged over to Miller. He didn't even look at her.

"The burial?" she whispered.

He nodded in response. "My men are taking care of it."

"Don't mark Tom-Tom's. It's part of our contract." She lowered her head. "I want to apologize for the way I acted."

"You don't have to-"

"But I do. That bastard reminded me why I hate them so much," she paused and sighed, "Let's just say I had a father and brother before the war." Miller turned his gaze to her. "Ya know, you kinda remind me of my father."

He sighed heavily. When she walked away, Horvath went to his side.

"What's the plan," he asked.

Miller sighed. "Walk until we find a safer area. Then we'll rest."


	10. Chapter 10-On the Prairie

In a matter of minutes, the group of eleven headed past the machine gun and in to the open fields. Bo walked in line with Miller. Jack kept pace with Upham. Donnie walked with Reiben in the front. Jo kept switching between Mellish and Horvath. It confused the two. Montie still lingered behind Jackson. She smirked as she caught up to him.

"So," she drawled, "Your name's Daniel?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes ma'am."

She raised her eyebrows. "Hmm."

He looked at the dirty blonde. "What?"

"That's going to get some getting used to. I mean, after all, I've been calling you Jackson."

"Jackson will be just fine," he replied while chuckling.

"Or you can call him Bumpkin like me," Reiben called over his shoulder.

"Oh, I wouldn't steal someone's pet name," Montie joked. "Especially from such a cute couple like you."

The two glanced at each other. "Couple?"

She nodded. "What, with all the nicknames and banter, it seemed pretty obvious."

Jackson and Reiben belted out a laugh. The sniper shook his head.

"I'm way out of Reiben's league."

"Hey, I think I'm the handsome one."

Jo glanced at them slightly. "Careful boys. You're startin' to sound like an old married couple."

The four laughed and it soon became quiet. The two companies thought to themselves. The day was ending the longer they marched. At what seemed to be midnight, they came upon a small structure. From the looks of it, it seemed to be an untouched, old farmhouse. Miller and Horvath glanced at each other and nodded. The Captain reached for the brunette that was nearby. She gave him a curious look.

"Do you want to clear this place or should we?" he whispered.

She leaned in. "I'll do it."

"Bring Mellish."

She nodded and jogged over to Mellish. After filling him in, the two slowly entered the house. They crept around the area as quietly as they could. They stood back to back as their eyes darted everywhere. A sudden creak caught their attention. Donnie nodded while pointing to a closet. Mellish moved over to the door and gently grabbed the handle as she pulled out her pistol. He ripped open the door. Donnie cocked her head to the side and lowered her weapon. A shadow timidly walked out of the closet and stepped toward the woman. She knelt on one knee and gazed at the creature.

"A fuckin' dog?" asked Mellish.

"He's cute," Donnie giggled as the border collie licked her face. She turned her head to the open door. "It's all clear Miller!"

The rest of the group moved inside. Jo tried turning on the switch. A small lamp flickered on.

"Electricity works. The family must've abandoned this ol' place."

Horvath picked up a picture of a young boy. "Or they were recruited."

"We'll bunk here for a few hours," the Captain announced.

"Hey, look at this," Jack spoke, "It's a fireplace…and it still has wood."

"This doesn't feel right," Bo muttered. They looked at her. "Who leaves this abruptly? They left their dog and firewood. Their electricity works for crying out loud!"

Reiben turned to his superior. "She's right Cap'n."

"We'll each take a watch. If anything suspicious happens, you wake us up," he ordered. "Jackson, you take first watch."

He groaned. "I was just about to fall asleep."

"It's only an hour, you'll live. You get Mellish when you're done. Mellish, you get Horvath."

He nodded. Everyone except Bo and Jackson walked to the back room. The violet eyed girl chuckled as she saw her leader playing with the dog. She moved to the fireplace and pulled out a lighter. After fifteen or so minutes, the flames licked the wood ferociously.

"That's a mighty fine fire."

The jet black haired girl smiled. "Thanks. I learned from my pa." She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She spread her legs across the tiny French couch.

"Where are you from?"

Bo smirked. "New York, but I moved to Ohio."

"Why's that?"

Her violet eyes glazed over. "I wanted to be independent. I was sick of relying on my parents," she paused, "The worst part is that I left without saying anything. Now, all I want to do is go back and apologize." After a few moments, she spoke up again. "Where are you from?"

"West Fork, Tennessee."

"Sounds like a great place for a ranch." She blew a ring of smoke.

The blonde grinned. "Yes ma'am. Dinah Lee and I would race to the stables. Once we got on our horses, we'd race them. I won of course."

"But of course," she drawled. "I hear Montie likes ranches."

Jackson looked at her and blushed slightly. Bo laughed quietly. He shifted his gaze to the ground. The jet black haired girl slapped his back.

"I won't say nothin'."

He nodded a thanks. The two made little conversation throughout the hour. After a while, Bo stood up and stretched.

"Well, goodnight cowboy."

He laughed as she extinguished her cigarette and wandered to the back room.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

Bo's ears perked up as she heard a small whimpering. She sped up her pace slightly. She lit her lighter in order to see better. Her eyes widened as she saw a fidgeting Jo in the far corner. Putting her lighter away, she rushed to her friend and shook the auburn's shoulders.

"No…don't…leave him be," Jo mumbled.

"Jo. Hey Jo, wake up kid. It's a dream."

The auburn's eyes snapped open as her hands gripped Bo's forearms. It was then that the violet eyed woman realized her friend had been sweating. Words frantically fumbled out of her terrified mouth.

"Hey, it's okay Jo. Everyone is safe," Bo cooed.

Becoming mute, she stood up and jogged through the hallway. Bo watched after her curiously as Jackson appeared in the door frame. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged and laid on her back. Jackson worked his way toward Mellish.  
Jo paced back and forth quickly outside the front door. She held her stomach with her arms. Her honey brown eyes were wide open. Sweat continued to beat down her forehead. The auburn brought her hands to her temple and shook her head.

"It wasn't real," she muttered, "Just a nightmare."

A few tears fell to the ground. She gripped her stomach as she dropped to her knees. She bit her lip to keep the tears in.  
"Don't cry…don't cry."

"Jo?" someone asked from the door. She turned to see Mellish. He had taken off his pack, helmet, and jacket leaving only a white tank top, pants, and boots.

"Are you alright?"

She turned her head to stare in front of her. A moment passed before she shook her head. The brown eyed soldier slowly walked over to her. He gently grabbed her arm and helped her stand up. "Let's go inside."

Jo nodded and walked with him. The two sat on the couch. She continued to let silent tears cascade down her cheeks. Mellish rubbed her knee soothingly. The crying soon stopped. The auburn snapped her head to him.

"Don't you tell anyone I cried." He chuckled and shook his head. "What?"

"Oh nothing, don't worry about it." Jo smirked and let out a quiet giggle. Mellish grinned. "Hey, uh, I've got a question."

"Alright, go for it."

"I noticed that all the girls in the war look nearly the same except-"

"Except…"

Mellish smiled. "You have your instrument, I think. Montie has those bracelets. Bo has that thing on her bicep, and so on."

Jo grinned. "Ah. Mine's an anklet, and those would be our identifiers."

"What the fuck is that?"

She giggled. "It's kind of like your dog tags, except we get to pick," she paused as she grabbed her bag and opened it. She pulled out a familiar headband.

"When one of us dies, we're supposed to collect it. That way, we keep track of all who've gone." Mellish bowed his head slightly. Jo pulled out a dull ring with a thick band. "Annie 'Phil' Phillips." She proceeded to pull out a daisy pin. "Daisy 'Jon' Jones." She pulled out a green scarf. "Donna 'Will' Williams." The auburn retrieved brown, no finger, gloves. "Hannah 'Spence' Spencer."

A few moments of silence passed. The flames crackled.

"Ya know," Mellish began, "I never got to thank you for not going easy on me when Carpy died."

Jo scoffed. "Any time."

"I'm serious. If you hadn't, I don't think I'd still be alive. I would've been FUBAR. You, well, saved my life."

The two connected gazes. The auburn's cheeks warmed slightly. She was about to say something when she heard a creak behind her. She snatched her pistol and swung around. Her aim was strong and deadly. Her eyes fixated on a young man. His clothes were torn. Jo eyed him.

"Qui êtes-vous?" she asked. The man just stared at her gun. "Qui êtes-vous?" Jo repeated.

"What are you saying?" Mellish asked.

"I'm asking who he is." She turned to the man. "Êtes-vous français?" She looked over her shoulder. "Asking if he's French."

"Oui," he answered.

"Okay, I know that means yes."

Jo lowered her gun. "Get Miller and Donnie."

"I thought Donnie attacks people who try to wake her."

She nodded. "Tap her elbow twice. It calms her somehow. Now would you get them please?"

Mellish ran to the back while Jo sat the French man on the couch. She asked him questions in his native tongue. In a couple of minutes, a tired Miller and a groggy Donnie trudged to the front room. Mellish followed them over. The brunette whistled softly as the dog rushed to her. He wagged his tail. She glanced at Jo with a raised eyebrow. The auburn nodded.

"He says his name is Pierre and he owns this house."

"Ask him if this is his dog and what is his name," Miller responded.

Jo did so quickly. The man faced the dog and squinted his eyes. A smile grew on his face. He spoke a name that made the dog perk up. The border collie panted and walked over to Pierre and licked his face. Donnie grinned.

"I was afraid I'd have to leave that dog here alone." Pierre smiled. "Jo, thank him for letting us stay here for a few hours."

The auburn did so. Pierre nodded and spoke words of welcome. Mellish returned to taking watch while the other three made their way to the back room. The honey brown eyed woman smiled warmly at the soldier who wasn't paying attention. She continued to the back and slept on the floor.


	11. Chapter 11-The Needle

Jack felt her body moving from the floor. At first, she thought it was a dream. She quickly realized someone was carrying her. Her eyes snapped open as she dropped her feet. She looked around to notice they were outside. The blonde turned to see a slightly spooked Upham. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Relax Upham. I was surprised, that's all." She smiled at him reassuringly. He grinned back.

"Sorry."

She chuckled. "I'm surprised my brother didn't beat you yet."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"Back home, if a boy was even near me, he would give them this glare." She smirked. "It was pretty entertaining."

"Oh, I got that look." Jack chuckled.

"Ready?" Miller called out.

"Yes sir," Upham replied.

The group of eleven headed in to the darkness. Donnie lead the way with Miller. Reiben and Jackson stood at the sides of Jo. Montie kept pace with Mellish and Bo. Horvath walked a bit behind the captain. Jack stayed in line with Upham. The groggy, yet alert, company trekked through the dark. The conversation was at a low for the most part. The girls switched positions several times. The sun rose in to the sky. Jack stopped, looked at it a moment, and continued on. It was Bo who broke the silence.

"When the hell can we take a break?" she asked loudly.

Reiben laughed. "What? Getting tired already?"

The jet haired woman smirked as she childishly kicked his rear.

"Ow!"

"What? Sore already?" she asked mockingly.

"Cheap shot," he muttered.

"It was there." She shrugged her shoulders.

"We can break at a little after noon," Donnie answered, "Okay Bo?"

"Sounds good to me."

The sun rose above them as they continued their march. Their alert was high, despite the fact that there was little action. Both companies remained silent. They left their thoughts to wander. They soon came upon a field. The grass reached at their hips. Donnie gazed at the tall yellow flowers that surrounded them. Her hand gently brushed over a select few. Her line of sight returned to the path ahead as a hum reached her ear. The humming turned into Mellish singing a haunting tune. Horvath glanced at him with a look filled with emotions that failed to be pinpointed. A loud clicking noise reached all of their ears. Miller curiously looked over his shoulder. An immediate sense of intensity overcame him.

"Am-Trak! Cover," he yelled.

All eleven of them dove into the natural cover. The creaking became louder as the large tank drew nearer to them. Out of the corner of her eye, Jo saw something in the air. Just then, an explosion hit the grass near the machinery. Unfortunately, it missed the target.

"Who's doin' the shootin'?" asked Horvath, "Who's doin' the shootin'?"

Another blast hit the armored tank. It effectively slowed the engine. The giant beast came to a halt. The top hatch opened. Instinctively, Montie took her dagger and launched it at the man. Miller's men followed suit and started to shoot at the enemies.

"Get ready to move to their flank! Left flank," the Captain stood up.

"Hold on! Make sure they're down," Mellish warned.

Miller kneeled for a moment before standing again. Giving a glance back at his men, he continued to move in front of the tank to the other side. All of a sudden, two men made a break for it. Miller quickly pulled the trigger on them. They soon dropped to the ground.

"101st! Comin out," a random voice yelled.

Three men stood up from the brush. Miller looked at them and waved them over. He turned toward his men and Donnie's group and waved them over. They slowly made their way over to the three men.

The man who seemed to be in charge spoke, "That was Re-Con Element Second SS. We've been expecting a probe, that must've been it."

"Captain Miller, Charlie Company, 2nd Rangers."

The man nodded. "Corporal Henderson, Easy Company, 501st."

"Ryan, first and five oh six," said the second man.

"PFC Toynbe, third and five oh six," said the third.

Miller turned his gaze to the second one. "James Francis Ryan?" he asked.

"Yes sir. How'd you guess that?"

The Captain smirked at his men comically. The verdant eyed woman rolled her eyes and smirked. Jo chuckled to herself.


	12. Chapter 12-Bad News

Without stating their mission, all of the soldiers headed back to Ramelle. It didn't take long for them to reach the town. From the looks of it, the place seemed to have been deserted. Barbed wire surrounded the perimeter. The fog and smoke that encompassed the area remained stagnant. The group moved farther inward. Donnie and Miller walked with the Corporal.

"Looks like you guys got hit pretty hard," the Captain spoke up.

"Yes sir," Henderson replied, "Small unit action. They came in and beat the hell out of us, 88s. Tell you what sir, if you're our relief I'm gonna file a complaint."

"I wouldn't blame ya. Who's your CEO?"

"Would've been Captain Jennings, sir. I'm afraid the most we could muster up is a corporal."

The brunette looked at the man. "So, you're in charge?"

"Yes ma'am."

She scoffed. "Well, we're not your relief, but we are assistance."

"Pardon, but what the hell are you saying?"

"I'm Eris Donahue. These are my girls Rae Montgomery, Lorraine Johnson, Dinah Lee Jackson, and Alice Bowman. We're a part of a special trained forces program. We received orders to aid in the protection of this bridge as well as notify that relief is being sent this way. ETA is a little up in the air. Did you know we were coming?"

He shook his head. "Negative. No disrespect, but how are you women supposed to help us?"

She smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Henderson turned back to a smirking Captain. Miller's men were also smirking. Henderson's men began to adjust the gear around them. The Corporal looked at Miller.

"So, what are you guys all about?"

"We're here for him. Ryan."

"Me sir?" asked the young man.

Miller nodded at him. He slowly led him away from the pack. They were still within hearing distance.

"James Francis Ryan of Iowa?"

"Yes sir, uh, Paton, Iowa. What is this about?"

Miller kept his gaze steady. "Your brothers were killed in combat."

Ryan looked at him for a moment. Hesitation gripped the boy. His gaze shifted to the ground and back up to the Captain.  
"Wh-Which ones?"

"All of them."

Ryan dropped his head in sadness. He sighed heavily before looking back at Miller with distress.  
"Uh, I'm alone?" he asked.

Miller nodded. "I'm afraid so. You might wanna take some time with this. If there's some place you wanna go and…" he trailed off.

A mixture of emotions surrounded the young man. Grief encompassed him as he tried to hold in his cries of anguish.

"You," he choked, "You came all the way out here to tell me that?"

"Well, you're going home. Our orders are to bring you back."

"Bring me back," Ryan muttered.

The Captain turned to face the corporal in charge. "Corporal Henderson, uh, we don't mean to leave you even more short handed, but orders are orders. So any communication to when you'll be relieved up here?"

"The ETA is all screwed up," Donnie piped up.

"Sir, there's no way to tell. We have no idea what's happening south of us-"

"I have my orders, too, sir," Ryan interjected, "They don't include me abandoning my post."

"I understand that, but this changes things."

"I don't see that it does, sir."

The Captain looked at Ryan annoyed. "The Chief of Staff for the United States Army says it does."

"Sir," Henderson addressed while moving back into Miller's line of sight, "our order's to hold this bridge at all costs. Now, our planes and the 82nd have taken out every bridge on the murder route except two: the one in Balone and this one here. If the Germans take it, we lose our foot hole and half of this place."

"Private, your outfit wants to stay, that's one thing. Your party's over here."

"Sir-Sir, I can't leave until at least reinforcements get here-"

"You have three minutes to gather your gear."

Ryan wouldn't take it. "Sir, what about them? There's barely, hardly any of us-"

"Hey asshole!" The young private looked to see a pissed off Reiben. "Three of our guys already died to try and find you, all right."  
Ryan stood there stunned. Miller turned to look at his men and the girls. The private turned to him.

"Sir?" he questioned.

"That's right. One woman, and two men."

Hesitantly, he walked over to the squad.

"What were their names?"

"Irwin Wade and Adrian Caparzo," Mellish answered.

"And Mary Tomms," Jo added.

"Tomms, Wade, and?"

"Caparzo," Mellish sighed.

Ryan, with a confused look on his face, walked back to the edge of the bridge. His eyes shifted across the water. The private muttered to himself. After a moment, he spoke up.

"It doesn't make any sense, sir. Why? Why me? Why do I deserve to go? Why not any of these guys? They all fought just as hard as me!"

"Is that what they're supposed to tell your mother when they send her another folded American flag?" Miller reasoned.

Off to the side, Reiben angrily rolled his eyes. Noticing this, Donnie gently nudged him and offered an empathetic smile. He nodded. Their attention returned to Ryan.

"Tell her that when you found me, I was here, and I was with the only brothers that I have left. And there was no way I was gonna desert them." His gaze shifted to the ground. "I think she'll understand that." He began to walk away. "There's no way I'm leaving this bitch."

Corporal Henderson stepped away. The mourning private hopped over the sandbags before sitting. He hung his head as he began to silently sob. One of his brothers in arms rubbed his head. The captain hung his head slightly in thought. He contemplated his decisions before speed walking toward the end of the bridge. Horvath jogged to catch up with him.


	13. Chapter 13-Consoling

In a groan of frustration, Bo slid against the bridge railing and sat. Upham glanced down at her with a curious expression.

"You all right?" he asked, amused.

She nodded. "I just feel bad for you guys. You come all the way out here for one guy, and he doesn't wanna go."

He smirked slightly. "Would you leave?"

"Hell yeah I would! Especially if I had siblings who were KIA. Do you know how low of a chance it is to even find the last one? With a different squad, we tried to locate three guys. All of 'em turned out to be dead. I'd consider myself lucky if they found me still breathing."

"Bo," Jack scolded, "At least try to be subtle."

She rolled her violet eyes. "I'm just speaking the truth."

"He lost his brothers for cryin' out loud," she whisper-yelled, "I don't imagine you clicking your heels if someone told you your family was gone."

Bo stood up and glared at her. Her eyes locked on to Jack's in a death grip.

"There's the difference, princess," she spoke coolly, "I wouldn't know if someone I cared for died. Not everyone has a loving family to go home to after this shit show. No one gives a damn if I end up rotting beneath a pile of French rubble. This guy has some people who love him and want him home. Considering all that, he's _choosing_ to stay for another goddamn battle that may kill him too. I don't see the sense in that, so excuse me for bringing reality in to the mix."

The jet black haired woman spun on her heels, breaking the stare, and walked over to the opposite side of the bridge. Donnie, Montie, and Jo, who had caught the tail end of the conversation, wore a look of shock on their face. Miller's men gave each other quick and nervous glances. Shaking herself out of the trance, Jack let out a labored sigh.

"I'll talk to her," the young corporal spoke.

"Thanks Upham."

The short haired blonde watched him walk over to her friend. The bright blue eyed woman then turned on her soles and jumped over the sandbag wall. Ryan still hung his head in sadness. Jack gently laid her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. A picture of her brother dying flashed through her mind. Her compassion grew for him as she began to feel a small amount of Ryan's pain. She pulled the young private into a comforting embrace, causing his tears to become fresh and violent. The two clutched each other for some time. Jackson glanced away as if to give his sister some privacy.

Over by the end of the bridge, Bo blew a puff of smoke. Her free hand gripped the side of her stomach. Her legs were crossed as she leaned against the bridge pole. Her violet eyes moved rapidly as if she were dreaming. Old voices filled her ears. Past quarrels invaded her psyche. After a few moments, she shut her eyes and shook her head to get rid of the demons. It wasn't until Bo opened her eyes that she noticed Upham.

"You all right?" he asked softly.

"Just dandy," she muttered sarcastically. She glanced at him to find his curious expression. She blew another puff. "Yeah, what I said is true. The day after the Japs hit Pearl Harbor, I went home. That bombing made me want to see my parents. So, I knocked on the cherry wood door with fear in my stomach. My father opened it," she paused as her eyes began to tear up, "He spit at me, insulted me, disowned me, and ya know what? My momma didn't do a goddamn thing. I saw her watching my Pa with a stone cold glare. All I could do was stand there and take it."

"Then what?" asked the corporal after a moment of silence.

"What do you think happened? I fuckin' signed up for this shit."

She blew another ring of smoke. Upham sighed and hung his head.

"I'm sorry Bo." He laid his hand on her shoulder. "That's an awful thing to go through. If it counts for anything, I'd care if you didn't make it."

She bit down on her lip. "Why? I've known you for what, two days? And after we finish this job, I'm back on the streets."

He chuckled. "It feels like I've known you longer," he paused, "Hey Bo?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you come live with me when this is over?"

She gave a scoff. "And why would I do that?"

"So you have a home...Just think about it." Upham glanced over his shoulder. "The Captain is heading back. We should join him."

In a quick moment of vulnerability, Bo whipped the corporal into a tight hug.

"Thanks Tim," she whispered.

Just as hastily, she released him from her grip. The two gave each other slight smiles before heading back to the group. Jack had, by this time, rejoined the group as well. The two reached the group before Miller and Horvath did. Seeing Bo, Donnie laid her hand on the violet eyed woman's back.

"You okay?"

She nodded. The brunette proceeded to ruffle Bo's hair before turning their attention to Miller.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading my story! Please R&R!**

**Enjoy!**


	14. Chapter 14-The Plan

**Yay! Another chapter! Thank you for all of the support and I'm glad you all enjoy this little story. You're all awesome!**

* * *

Miller looked at his men and the girls. He then turned over to Henderson.

With a humored smile, he asked, "Do you have an armory?"

Donnie immediately perked up. She hustled to Miller's side. Corporal Henderson led Miller, Horvath, Donnie, and a couple of his guys to the inside of a building.

"This is everything," a private spoke slowly, "The .230 caliber machine guns, seventeen grenades, eleven Hawkins mines, and two bazookas, but we only got eight rounds left. Assorted small arms. We had a sixty mortar, but an artie round took it out."

"Mine as well be spit wads if they rollin' us with tanks," the other private jumped in.

"Which they're sure to do," he muttered before turning to the woman. "I know you're higher in the chain, but do you mind me taking the reigns?"

The green eyed woman smirked. "Sure, have fun."

"Whatcha thinkin' sir?" Horvath asked the Captain.

"Well, I'm thinking they're gonna try and whip out the flanks," he answered while moving the group outside. "Unless we draw them up this main road, here, in between the buildings, where all the rubble makes a bit of a bottleneck."

"You wanna disable them?" Donnie questioned with a raised brow.

"If we can make that tank a sixty ton roadblock. We do that, we got a fighting chance on the flanks."

"Yes sir, that's good," Henderson complimented, "Split them up, don't let them mass."

Miller continued, "Hit 'em hard when we can, one on one, and fall back to the bridge."

Horvath smirked. "Move 'em down here, two up high, have a pistol of bad news on their heads."

"That would be the idea." He, and a few others, walked over to the sniper. "Jackson, if we can, I'd like to get you up in that bell tower."

"Yes sir."

"Give ya a little company if ya need it."

He smirked. "Yes sir, some company couldn't hurt. I'd say, uh, a thirty with about a thousand rounds would be okay."

"Parker," Henderson called over his shoulder, "job opportunity." His smile sent a shiver up Montie's spine.

The blonde gripped Parker's shoulder. He glanced at her.

"Don't get cocky."

He nodded with a slightly grim expression before heading over.

Miller led the way through the bottom of another building. Reiben started walking with them.

"Yeah, well, it's not the worst idea ever Captain," he spoke up, "It's just that everything depends on getting this tank down the main road, right?" The group moved through the streets. "How the hell do you plan on doing that?"

"Reiben's right," Horvath agreed, "As our esteemed colleague from the airborne pointed out, what we got here is a bunch of spit wads. So, how do we stop it, if we get it to commit?"

The Captain looked past Henderson's shoulder to see a miniature jeep.

"Give it a rabbit to chase." The others followed his gaze. "We could hit the tank in the tracks."

"Yeah, but with what?"

Miller let out a sigh. "We could try a sticky bomb."

"Sticky bomb, sir?" Ryan asked skeptically.

Smirking, Henderson asked, "Sir, are you making that up?"

"No, it's in the field manual. You can check it out if you want."

Ryan grinned. "We seem to be out of field manuals, sir. Perhaps you could enlighten us."

Miller made a curt nod. "You have some demolition, don't ya? Some TNT, or Composition B?"

"Now you're speaking my language." Jo beamed.

Toynbe mimicked her smile. "That, sir, is the one thing we got plenty of. I've got that bridge wired with enough Composition B to blow it up twice."

"Alright. Spare some then." Miller started to hustle toward the bridge. The group of soldiers followed. The Captain began explaining, "Take a standard issued GI sock, cram it with enough Comp B it can hold. Rig up a simple fuse. You coat the whole thing with axel grease, and when ya throw it, it should stick. It's a bomb that sticks; it's a sticky bomb. Come up with a better way to knock the tracks off a tank, I'm all ears."

"This is good," Reiben stated, "Now we gotta surrender our socks.

Jack chuckled at the comment. Donnie smirked.

"It could be worse," the brunette called back.

"How so?"

She slowed down and walked between him and the short haired blonde.

"You could've had to surrender your underpants."

Jack held in a guffaw at the joke. Reiben smirked while chuckling. He watched as Donnie hustled to catch up with Miller, Horvath, and Toynbe. At the back of the group, Upham stopped in his tracks. His deep brown eyes gazed around the busy area. He sighed as he watched soldiers prepare for the coming battle. His gaze was ripped away as someone nudged his shoulder. He looked over to see violet eyes.

"You okay?" asked Bo.

He nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Come on," she urged.

The two spread out across the "campsite". Montie helped make the sticky bombs. Jo helped plant some mines. Jack helped her brother get his things into the bell tower. Donnie and Bo set up their own stations. The blue eyed blonde quickly found the entrance to the bell tower. She scaled the stairs quickly and methodically. When she reached the top, she peered into the room. Her brother and Parker were setting up the guns. Jackson caught sight of her.

"Dinah Lee," he called.

She walked farther into the room. Ignoring Parker, she ran and embraced her brother. Jackson returned the hug. Small tears escaped her baby blues.

"Daniel?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry."

His grip tightened. "For what?"

"Everything. For treating you like ya don't matter, for lying to ya, for scaring ya. You're my brother and I love you. I want you to live and come home with me to see mama after this."

He wiped tears from her eyes.

"I'll go home, if you go home," he joked. She chuckled. "I love ya too, and that's all that matters."

"Promise me you'll make it," she whispered.

He smiled gently. "I promise."

She grinned. "Good, 'cause I ain't the only one who wants ya to come home."

Jack walked over to the stairs as her brother contemplated what she said. A look of understanding crossed his face.

"Dinah Lee, you don't mean-"

"I can't tell ya," she said as she zipped down the stairs.

"Dinah," he called, using her nickname, "Dinah!"

Parker snickered. "Women."

Jackson glanced at him. "Shut up."

With a smirk, Parker put up his hands defensively before returning to his tasks. Jackson soon rejoined him.

* * *

**I just had to give Jackson and Dinah Lee a sibling moment. :) I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave some feedback. I would love to be able to improve my writing as much as possible. You're all lovely! Please R&R!**

**Thank you,**

**manyreasons**


	15. Chapter 15-Contemplation

A little while later, Mellish continued to set up his station. He stood outside of a small hole, while a paratrooper was working on the inside. His gaze wandered around, catching a glimpse of auburn hustling past his eyesight. He turned toward the man in the hole.

"I'll get some ammo," he told him. Mellish turned slightly and patted Upham on the shoulder. "Come on," he ordered.

The two started walking toward a small pile of ammunition.

"Hey Upham."

"Yes?" the young corporal asked excitedly while holding a cigarette.

"Listen to me, alright?"

"Yes, yes."

"You listening?"

"Yes."

"Alright," he paused to look at Upham, "We're gonna be displacing and falling back like crazy sons of bitches. You gotta be Johnny-On-The-Spot with the ammo, or we're dead."

"Right."

"You understand that?"

"I understand," he chittered.

"Yeah? You all right?" Mellish asked with slight concern.

Upham took a deep breath.

"Yeah, yes." Mellish took Upham's helmet and began filling it with ammunition. Upham continued, "Ya know, when we were shipping out of England, I was offered some cigarettes. And I was like, 'No, I don't smoke.'"

He took a puff from the cigarette that stood between his fingers.

"Quite a situation, huh?" muttered Mellish.

"Heh. It's unbelievable."

The older soldier began to lay some clips around the younger one's neck. The rounds jingled with a slightly haunting tone.

"Yup," Mellish spoke up, "Fucked up beyond all recognition."

"Yeah, right." Upham blew out some smoke. He looked at his comrade with a glint of recognition. "FUBAR."

They two began to chuckle as the joke hit its punch line. Gently, Mellish slapped the corporal's neck. Upham rubbed the same spot.

"Ouch."

Mellish sighed with realization. "Yeah, well, it's gonna be a real show."

He began to walk away. After standing for a moment, Upham began to follow. In the midst of his jumpy attitude, he managed to drop some ammunition.

"Hey, take it easy," Mellish called back.

Upham stooped down and grabbed the droppings.

"FUBAR," he muttered.

The two headed back over to the hole. In the open cafe of a, somewhat, steady building, Miller fiddle with a coffee machine. He pulled on the lever expectingly. When nothing came out, the captain tipped the metal contraption toward him while shaking it. Again, no liquid came out. He proceeded to open the top. He frowned slightly as he set the machine down. He walked away from it and toward Ryan. Ryan was sitting in a relaxed position. Miller walked past Ryan's sights and in to the road.

"Who's that singing, sir?" the young private asked.

"Edith Pioth."

"What's she so upset about?"

Miller sighed. "Her lover left her. She still sees his face everywhere she goes."

Ryan nodded. "That'll do it."

The music continued to weave itself through the air. From Ryan and Miller, to Donnie, to Horvath, Reiben, Mellish, and Upham. The three men sat upon the steps of a half blown building. Upham stood off to the side, a little more relaxed.

"'Even life itself represents you. Sometimes I dream that I'm in your arm,'" he translated.

"What was that part? She-she sang that before," Horvath interrupted.

"It's the chorus. 'And you speak softly in my ear. And you say things that make my eyes close, and I find that marvelous.'"

"Again, Upham, uh," Mellish started.

"Yes?"

"To be honest, uh, I find myself curiously aroused by you."

The four of them broke in to laughter.

"Marvelous." Upham chuckled. "Ya know, it's a real melancholy song. In the beginning when she says, 'and then one day you left me, and, uh, I've been desperate ever since. I see you in the sky. I see you all over the earth.'"

Horvath smirked. "With any more songs like this, the krauts won't have to shoot me. Make me slit my own wrists."

The others gave quiet chuckles.

"You're a strange bird, Upham," Reiben rasped, "Ya know what this song reminds me of? Reminds me of Mrs. Rachel Trubowitz and what she said to me the day I left for basic."

"What? 'Don't touch me'?" teased Mellish.

"No. Mrs. Rachel Trubowitz was our super's wife. Comes into my ma's shop to try on a few things, alright, she's easily a fourty-four double E-"

"A double E?" questioned a suspicious Mellish.

Reiben continued while using his hands, "These things are massive. And I got her convinced that she's a fourty-two D. So, she's in the dressing room trying to squeeze into this side-cut, silk ribbon, ventripal panel girdle with the shelf lift brassiere, and it's beautiful 'cause she's just pouring out of this thing."

"Was it really tight?"

"No-no, it's beautiful. And she sees me, and she can tell I got a hard on the size of the Statue of Liberty. And she says to me, 'Richard, calm down,' she says, 'Now when you're over there, if you see anything that upsets you, if you're ever scared, I want ya to close your eyes, and think of these. Understand?' So I said, 'Yes ma'am.'"

The four of them sat in silence as they listened to the record. Each one of them thought to themselves. Over by the bridge, Donnie, Montie, Jo, Jack, and Bo sat on the rail. Donnie and Jo, however, stood and laid their backs against the railing.

"Upham asked me to live with him after this," Bo spoke suddenly.

The other four turned their heads to her with looks of amazement.

"He grew balls," Jo muttered.

"You gonna?" asked the gray eyed blonde.

Bo chuckled, keeping her gaze on the town. "Ya know, I'm not sure."

"So, he likes you," the auburn pointed out.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I think he just wants to help."

"I think you should," Donnie piped up. The violet eyed woman gave her a look to elaborate. "Both of you have known war. It'd be nice to have someone who understands what we're going through."

"Do you think the boys will be able to come home after they've done this mission?" Jack asked quietly.

Montie rubbed her back soothingly.

"I don't see why not," she encouraged. "They've done just as much as us."

"So has Toynbe, Ryan, and Henderson. Not everyone gets to go."

"Why don't we think of that when the time comes. For now, " the brunette paused, "I wanna thank you four. You're some of the bravest people I know."

Bo hopped off the railing. She smirked.

"We couldn't be brave without you, Donnie," she complimented.

"Shit, I hate to say it," Jo teased, "but without you, we wouldn't even be friends."

The brunette smirked.

"Thanks guys," she paused as she gazed at the water. "I just hope the guys make it," she muttered.

The five woman sat in contemplation.

* * *

Miller stood in the middle of the road. He shifted his gaze to his trembling hand.

"Are you all right?" asked Ryan.

He forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm just keeping the rhythm."

He began to snap his fingers.

"Is it true you were a teacher, back home?"

"Yes."

"See, that's something I could never do. No. Not after the way me and my brothers treated our teachers. No sir."

He chuckled.

"I had a thousand kids like you."

"I can't see my brother's faces," Ryan spoke suddenly, "I've been trying, but I can't see their faces at all. Has that ever happened to you?"

"You have to think of a context," he advised.

"What does that mean?"

"Well you don't just think about their faces, something specific, something you've done together." Miller shook his head. "When I think of home, I think of something specific. I think of my hammock in the back yard, my wife pruning the rose bushes with old work gloves."

"There was one night, my brothers came and woke me up in the middle of the night. They said they had a surprise for me. So they took me into the barn, and into the loft, and there was my oldest brother, Dan, with Alice Jardine."

The young private began to giggle.

"I mean picture a girl who took a nosedive from the ugly tree hitting every branch coming down. And-And Dan's got her shirt off. So he's working on this bra, trying to get it off. All of a sudden, Sean just screams out, 'Danny you're a young man! Don't do it!'"

Ryan chuckled.

"And so Alice Jardine hears this and she screams and she tries to get and run outta the barn. But she's still got this shirt over her head, she runs into the wall and knocks herself out. So now Dan's just so mad at us. He-He starts coming after us, but at the same time Alice is over there unconscious, so he's trying to wake her up. So, he grabs her by a leg, and he's dragging her, at the same time grabbing a shovel. He's going after Sean. Sean says, 'What are ya tryin to hit me for? I just did ya a favor!' And so this makes Dan more angry. So, he swings. He looses the shovel, hits a kerosene lamp. The whole barn almost explodes this thing. Ugh." He slowed his laughter in to a groan. He rubbed his head. "That was it. That was the last-Dan went to basic the next day. That was the last the four of us were together. That was two years ago," he paused, "Tell me about that wife and those rose bushes?" he asked almost pleadingly.

Miller shook his head.

"No. No, that one I save just for me."

The two sat in silence. Their heads perked up as a metal clanking began to sound. The record stopped abruptly.

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**There's chapter 15! I hope you enjoyed it!**


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